Trevor Lawrence getting cold feet about the Jets, talking of staying for his senior year
They need to get rid of the QB whisperer pronto
Sure they will be number 1 pick for that year too 
they are atrocious, Chiefs are considering resting Mahomes this week they have become a glorified bye week on the schedule.
Trevor Lawrence will be in college longer than Jim McGuinness and older than Branden Weeden on draft day if the Jets continue to pick first
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There will be a few lads in fantasy land distraught with this news.
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Yup
I mentioned it as a possibility during the summer. There is nothing to say the Jets wonât be picking first in 2022 either. They will get rid of Adam Gase and get it done. Too much money at stake.
Would they take Justin Fields or roll the dice and take BPA
It depends on what kind of offense they want to run. Fields is the obvious choice but Mac Jones could make a run like Burrow did. A lot of similarities on what Alabama do on offense and NFL.
Everson Griffen traded to the Lions. That is a big upgrade on the defensive line for a 6th round pick.
Will Dez Bryant make a go of it at the Ravens?
No
Browns and Patriots trying to secure services of Adam Thielen.
Mike Lombardi is always good to give an insight into Bill Bellichick. Decent piece on the Patriots and their issues below.
In the NFL, losing close (under three points) games is beyond painful. The sting lingers until midweek as your mind keeps replaying the âone-play game.â You just keep thinking, âif we had made this play or that play, the outcome would have been different.â Itâs a soothing, unrealistic exercise that enables fans, coaches and executives to bury the pain and move onto the next game. Blowout losses are different. When you lose and the other team dominates the game, there is some sorrow, some pain, but nothing lingers because reality is staring you in the face. Sometimes blowouts are flukes, a very bad day for a good team that can still succeed. But in many cases, the reality is that your current team is not good enough in all three phases â players, coaches, and schemes â and quick fixes are not an option, only hard work. Itâs not a âone playerâ problem; itâs a team problem. And after the Patriotsâ 33-6 loss to the 49ers, that âwe are not good enoughâ reality has finally reached the New England area for the first time in over 20 years.
Losing to an injury-riddled San Francisco team is not the end of the world, but being dominated and dismantled from start to finish has never happened under the Bill Belichick-led Patriots â it resulted in the worst home loss of the Belichick era, and sprouted plenty of storylines and talking points throughout the NFL world. One narrative is that some now believe the Patriots won six titles because of star quarterback Tom Brady, who left this past offseason for Tampa. But that is overlooking so much about the Patriotsâ success over the years. New England was the ultimate team, winning with different players, from different teams all working together. Yes, Brady was greatly responsible for helping the Patriots win titles and dominate this century, but he would be the first to tell anyone that he alone was not the reason. And he alone leaving the Patriots is not the reason they are playing their worst football. The Patriots built a team dynasty, led by Brady, and now the team part of the dynasty needs attention.
This is not a shill column for my friend and head coach Bill Belichick. He does not need me to carry his mail or offer excuses for the Patriots losing three in a row and looking awful. If I were still in New England, I would offer my honest assessment of the team, telling Belichick we are too slow on offense and defense, we lack explosiveness as a team and more than anything, we must stop our giveaway program. Belichick is the most honest and realistic head coach Iâve ever worked alongside and is third on the all-time winningest coaches list because of his brutal, candid self-analysis. He wants the truth and is never shy about admitting mistakes. He knows his team needs help; he watches the tape, he understands the problems better than anyone. Belichick knows this is not a one-player problem or an easy solution. He also knows how to repair and rebuild teams, correct mistakes, and most of all, he knows this is not a one-year fix. Belichick has always been a long-term sustainable thinker and planner. You donât win 275 games in the NFL, without having the answers to the test.
When the offseason started, everyone knew Brady was leaving. Brady decided before the season that 2019 would be his last in New England. He put his house in the Boston area on the market and started to look for another NFL city to call home. He opted out of his contract, which left behind substantial cap dead money. Brady, Antonio Brown and Stephen Gostkowski combined for more than $20 million in dead money as the Patriots entered the offseason â which was not a huge issue as the Patriots rarely spend big money in March and April as they tend to focus on finding economic value players who fit into their salary structure and improve in their system. One of the many reasons for the Patriotsâ longevity of winning lies in developing these cap-friendly players into serviceable winning talent. After COVID hit, the closed-down NFL facilities and shortened offseason affected the Patriots way more than carrying Bradyâs or anyone elseâs dead money.
Iâm often asked what makes the Patriots so successful, as if they have a magic pill everyone takes. And my first answer is the âsecret sauceâ in New England is the offseasonâs development program. The offseason in New England is one part discovery of the good, another part cultivation of the mind. The foundation of the season begins when those two intersect. When players arrive in New England, their past is left behind, and whatever talents they bring, whatever strengths they hold, will be tightly fit into the team. The offseason process is to determine the playerâs strengths then neatly fit those talents into their scheme, which often results in making the player play better than before. Simultaneously with the scheme fit, players have their minds rearranged to understand the gameâs mental aspects, understand the game of football from a unique perspective, and learn the essence of mental toughness. For New England, the offseason is what BUDS training does for the Navy Seals; it prepares those who can endure and casts away those who cannot.
Without this preparation, the Patriots look underdeveloped. Their younger players like outside linebacker Chase Winovich, defensive tackle Byron Cowart, and wide receiver NâKeal Harry are not taking the normal giant step from being average last year to becoming good this year. Without the development program in full force, the Patriotsâ long-standing model of low-income scheme fitters does not work. This is not an excuse by any means, as all 32 teams were forced to miss out on their offseason planning this year. But it is an attempt to show just how instrumental the offseason was in allowing the Patriots to achieve their enormous success.
After three weeks of the season, the Patriots showed promise, especially quarterback Cam Newton. Newton finally appeared healthy, was running and throwing the ball as if it were 2013 all over again, and it looked as if the Patriots had found their replacement for Brady. Then COVID hit Newton, forcing him to miss the Chiefs game and two weeks of practice. In the two games since his return, Newton has been horrible. He has been doing un-Patriot things during the game, turning the ball over rapidly and violating the New England golden rule: avoiding losing before winning. Newtonâs arm does not look strong; he looks hesitant with his decision making and uncomfortable in the offense. The Patriots benched him during the 49ers game for Jarrett Stidham. Newton has owned his poor play, saying âThe first thing I said to myself coming home was, âYou keep playing games like that, bro, and itâs going to be a permanent change,ââ Newton said Monday morning on Boston sports radio WEEI. âYou donât need to tell me that for me to understand that. I get it loud and clear.â Admitting he is not playing well is the first step toward improvement. But Newton is not the only player not playing well for the Patriots. Most everyone on the team should follow Newtonâs advice.
In the Patriotsâ meeting room hangs a sign that reads: Practice execution becomes game reality. Besides crucial on-the-field practice, the No. 1 item on the Patriotsâ to-do list is to end this gift-giving. They are 31st in the NFL in giving the ball away. They have thrown 11 interceptions and lost three fumbles, which for a team that preaches protecting the ball, the sermons are not being heard. They are only a minus-2 in the turnover/takeaway column because of their ability to make plays on the ball with their defense, ranking 22nd overall. If they can protect the ball, they will give themselves a chance to be competitive.
When teams are playing poorly, they must attempt to build an area of some strength. For example, the Patriots do have areas of excellence, as it has not been all bad all season. They can play great red-zone defense as they did against Denver. They donât allow big plays, and they can force the offense to work the ball down the field. If they can continue improving in those areas, protect the ball and get Newton to play near to his Week 1-3 levels, they still wonât be a Super Bowl contender, but they can be competitive in the AFC East, which does not appear to have a dominating team.
The NFL season is long and hard, and there are problems that creep up daily. The losing teams have more problems than most, some related to talent, scheme, or coaching. In New England, they donât have to worry about correcting the schemes or coaching as that has always been a strength. You donât win as many games as they have won with poor schemes and coaching. They must continue to develop the talent as their problems can self-correct with the improvement of the players within the system. Basically, bring the offseason plan into the season. These slight improvements might not help the Pats win the Super Bowl or play in the AFC Championship game, but it can propel them into next year, where they will have an abundance of cap dollars to spend and reconfigure the team.
Yes, it looks bad for Patriots fans as Brady and the Bucs are enjoying their best start in some time, which makes the Patriotsâ losing even harder to take. However, this is not about Brady and Belichick. Even if Brady had stayed and been a part of this team, the Patriots would still face the same issues of developing the talent from within during a COVID offseason and that would have made Brady go crazy. In the end, it worked out best for both; even though it might take a year or two to fix the Patriots, they will return to their place as one of the best teams in the NFL in due course â they just need to have their special sauce available.
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JaysusâŚ
The Vikings giving up?
I think this is quite optimistic. Some really key players will not be around in a year or two. No running game, nor any player looking like breaking out into a star back. No receiving corps of any note, Nkeal Harry looking like a bust and Jakobi Myers out playing him. Edelman is not getting a look from Newton so Iâd expect him to finish off this year. No tight ends. Mattie Slater will retire from special teams. On defence, the McCourtys will be gone soon. Gilmore is gone from DPOTY to one of the worst in the league and looks likely to be shipped off to try glean some sort of stock for his worth. The D line is average at best. And of the players who opted out, Hightower and Chung may not even come back at their stage in their career. Marcus Canon is a loss on the O Line and would help, but thats about the only positive influence to come back in.
There is little positives that the younger group will step up and become great players. Usually there was a stop gap solution to the Patriots, go trade or sign a free agent to fill in a specific role and they didnt depend on drafting to be successful. If anything, the Patriots drafting has been quite poor for a decade or so now. Granted, usually having the pick in the bottom 4 every year for ten years doesnt lend itself to be able to pick up stud players, but even so, some picks were questionable and others utterly dumb. Its rare they pick up a top class hidden player like Gronk was in latter rounds for the last few years.
I think the Patriots will struggle to get back up again. Coaching only goes so far and will keep them better than absolute shambles of teams, but I dont see them competing for divisions, never mind conference of superbowls anytime soon.
The secret sauce, man!
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HGH?
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I wonder what kind of haul the Jets could get for the first overall pick if they decided to shop it.
There would be no shortage of suiters willing to move up for it. Vikings, Falcons, 49ers, Broncos, Raiders, Colts etc would all be very interested. Iâm sure the Jets could parlay it into the bones of half a dozen top 50 picks over the next 2 seasons and a potential blue chip player like Thielen, Julio Jones, one of the 49ers D linemen, Von Miller etc as part of the deal and put something around Darnold.
Would be great to see Lawrence on a solid enough team straight out the gate.
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