New England Patriots News 3-29 and Notes Around the AFC East
 Tom Brady must have raised a few eyebrows and pulses in Foxboro with his cliff diving stunt this week while on vacation with his family. (USA TODAY Images) |
Good morning, here are Sunday’s Patriots news notes and what’s happening around the division:
Brady’s Daredevil Stunt: On a slow news day for Saturday, Tom Brady stole the show somewhat. The QB has been emerging from his social media shell all season with some of the funnier posts with his Facebook account.
I can’t imagine there were too many smiles in Foxboro when they saw the 3-Time Super Bowl MVP Cliff diving into a deep pool of water somewhere in Costa Rica where Brady has been vacationing with his family.
Brady posted pictures this week of his kids burying him in the sand on the beach, but this one was just a tad different. Brady seemed a bit apprehensive but leapt off of what seemed like about a 75-80 foot cliff into the water below a waterfall.
New England Patriots News 3-29 and Notes Around the AFC East
Good morning, here are Sunday’s Patriots news notes and what’s happening around the division:
Brady’s Daredevil Stunt: On a slow news day for Saturday, Tom Brady stole the show somewhat. The QB has been emerging from his social media shell all season with some of the funnier posts with his Facebook account.
Luckily Brady emerged unscathed and put on his Facebook page, “Never Doing That Again”….I’m sure Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were uttering the same phrases as well on Saturday.
Local Harvard Prospect Hodges, a Great Story: On Saturday we ran a draft profile on Harvard DE/OLB Zack Hodges who could be a nice addition to the Patriots. It is rare to see Ivy Leaguers getting a lot of looks as a productive edge rusher, but Hodges has the tools to make a name for himself in the NFL.
But his story is a compelling one. Martin Kessler wrote a fantastic piece for WBUR back in 2013 that tells a great story on who Zack Hodges is and what kind of young man someone will have the fortune of drafting.
After losing his father at age six, his mother worked three jobs to support them. He didn’t start playing football until age ten, got recruited to Harvard but she never got to see him there, passing away herself when Hodges was 16. He had to put in a year at Exeter Academy to get his grades up.
While in a class on existentialism, his teacher learned he was an athlete recruited to Harvard (a sore spot) and ripped the young man. His advisors quickly pulled him from the class but Hodges went back and after sitting down with the teacher, ended up meeting with the teacher up to three times a week for up to 90 minutes at a time, talking about everything from government to religion. Hodges eventually took three classes from this teacher.
He’s a double major in government and philosophy so learning the Patriots defense shouldn’t be a big stretch for the young man. But he has just the kind of story that the team always likes and he has the maturity and the work ethic that Bill Belichick just loves. Hopefully we’ll see his name called to New England early in May.
Prosecution Calls Hernandez’s fiancé Jenkins to testify: The murder trial of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez took a dramatic turn last week with the calling of Hernandez’s fiancé Shayanna Jenkins to testify against him. Jenkins, also the mother of Hernandez’s daughter was granted immunity in the state’s case. Hernandez is accused of murdering Odin Lloyd.
Jenkins' was asked about removing a garbage bag from their shared home with what appeared to be a box inside. Prosecutors said before the trial that they believe the box contained the alleged murder weapon.
Jenkins stated that Hernandez told her that he was innocent. The trial and Jenkins testimony resumes on Monday.
Hightower’s Injury Expected to Sideline Him for 6 Months: Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower had labrum surgery after the season which is expected to hold him out for 6-7 months. This was widely reported the day after the Super Bowl but the story has resurfaced again and bears mentioning.
Hightower suffered a torn labrum and played thru pain down the stretch and into the playoffs. Now he’ll miss at least all of the OTAs, mini-camps and much if not all of training camp. So it seems a trip to the PUP will be in line for the Patriots linebacker.
Hightower was outstanding in 2014, with a rating of #2 among ILBs according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he also was tied for second on the team with six sacks. He made a game-saving tackle of Marshawn Lynch in the Super Bowl on the play before the Malcolm Butler interception that sealed the Patriots come-from-behind win.
His absence will test the depth of the Patriots linebacker core.
Eastbound and Down…..News from around the AFC East
The Jets Send Six Key Members To Scout Mariota: The Jets scheduled a private workout with Oregon QB Marcus Mariota on Saturday to do an evaluation prior to the NFL Draft on April 30.
General Manager Mike Maccagnan, head coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, director of college scouting Rex Hogan and director of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger were slated to run Mariota through an assessment that will include on-field drills and classroom work designed to test his football IQ.
We’ll see how this plays out on April 30…. If the Duck’s QB is still on the board at #6, then we’ll truly see what the Jets think of him. For now, the brass is stating that Geno Smith is the reigning incumbent as the starting QB. But they aren’t sending the entire brain trust to see Mariota if they truly believe that. Time will tell…
Rodney Harrison Blasts Jets…Smith: Former Chargers and Patriots safety Harrison who now works for NBC was on the station’s “Under Center” show and slammed the Jets’ off-season thus far.
“You can say whatever you want about Darrelle Revis - and I do believe he’s the best cornerback in the league - but Darrelle Revis has not thrown a touchdown pass," Harrison said.
“He’s not your quarterback. Yes, he can shut down a No. 1 receiver, but they need a quarterback. The Jets are, all of a sudden, on a high, thinking they’re going to win a championship. You’re not going to win a championship. You’re not even going to make the playoffs… because you don’t have a quarterback.”
"If you go into the season and you’re expecting Geno Smith to improve, it’s not going to happen," he added. "He might get a little better, but when times get tough, when adversity hits, guess what he’s going to do? He’s going to fold just like the last couple years.”
“I don’t believe in Geno Smith. I think this is a huge mistake. Hopefully in this draft, they try to address this quarterback situation, because if they go into the season with Geno Smith, they might win five or six games.”
Bills to erect a statue for Ralph C. Wilson: On the one year anniversary of his passing, the Bills new owners, Kim and Terry Pegula have announced that the team will build a statue honoring former owner Ralph C. Wilson.
The bronze statue will be placed in the northwest corner of Ralph Wilson stadium just behind the team’s Pro Shop.
“Mr. Wilson was an icon in both the professional football world and the Western New York community,” Kim Pegula said. “This is our opportunity to honor his legacy and to allow our fans to share their gameday experience with the man who brought professional football to Buffalo.”
Well done Bills…and well deserved for one of the icons of the National Football League.
Dolphins Targeting Eagles Boykin?: Rumors were swirling during the NFL’s Annual Meeting that the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles were discussing a trade. And that the Dolphins were asking about a certain player.
That player is probably slot corner Brandon Boykin. Although Chip Kelly’s crew is short depth wise in the secondary, Boykin is in the final year of his contract and will probably bolt at the end of 2015 in an attempt to find a starting job.
The 5’10 corner has been unable to crack Philly’s starting lineup and may be deemed expendable. Miami may try to swing a late deal for him prior to the draft.
Who Will the Dolphins Target in the 1st Round?: As with all 32 teams, rumors are swirling over who Miami will target with their first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Mel Kiper, ESPN Draft Analyst believes Miami will target one of the speedy wide receivers in the draft, specifically, DeVante Parker from Louisville. They are also supposedly looking at Phillip Dorsett from the University of Miami and Breshad Perriman from the University of Central Florida.
Other mock analysts have Miami taking Georgia’s RB Todd Gurley with their top pick. Kiper believes it would be a mistake, even before Gurley tore his ACL last season. Miami only owns two picks in the first 113, so they’ll have to choose wisely or trade back for more picks in the middle rounds.
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