Tag: 37546

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When Bill Belichick was in his second season as New England Patriots coach in 2001, Bill Russell — the Boston Celtics great who won 11 NBA championships — visited the team.

Russell’s death on Sunday at age 88 had Belichick reflecting on that visit, and current Patriots players reflecting on Russell’s legacy.

“It was great,” Belichick said. “Bill’s a great person. His comments on leadership, teamwork and unselfishness are all outstanding.”

Belichick’s close friendship with football great Jim Brown led to his connection with Russell, setting the stage for the 2001 visit. This week, the Patriots’ two longest-tenured players — Matthew Slater and Devin McCourty — shared how Russell impacted their lives.

“It’s really hard to put into words what Bill Russell meant not only to this city, but to professional sports, has meant to Black athletes, and just the progress we’ve seen in this country over the last 60 years or so,” Slater said.

“When I think of Bill Russell, I don’t think of, necessarily, the championships. Or the Celtics and the winning, which is a legacy that speaks for itself. I think of what he did for Black athletes. I’m a beneficiary of the actions of men and women like Bill Russell, who are willing to step out on the limb and advocate for Black athletes and Black Americans, and push for change, push for equality.”

Slater was referencing, among other things, how Russell boycotted a 1961 exhibition game to protest discrimination.

For McCourty, who describes himself as a “huge basketball fan”, playing professional football in New England drew him closer to Russell.

“Coming here, and just learning his story, initially all you know is ‘Bill Russell, a champion, and winner.’ But just his willingness and vulnerability to be very open about what he went through and wanting change,” McCourty said.

“As an athlete that gets to play in this area, I drew a lot of inspiration and motivation from how he viewed things. I think the road he paved for Black athletes to be able to be successful in this city, and sports in general; I think about his life … he wasn’t just a great athlete, but he was a better person. All of us here, we strive to be like Bill Russell.”

In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Belichick shared more detail on the time Russell visited the Patriots.

“He’s a big Patriots fan and gave us a lot of support, and he was just a tremendous person to talk to. I’ve learned an awful lot from Bill Russell. Very fortunate to have had a relationship with him,” Belichick said.

“Obviously he was a great player and there was a lot of attention on him, but how he tried to deflect that and enhance other players, how to help other players play better, what he could do to help his teammates.

“Ultimately his role changed from player to coach, to some combination of both, and so he talked a lot about how being a leader — and how being a coach combined with being a player — was really the ultimate in trying to help the team.

“And when you have veteran players on every team, which we had at that time and still have now; how those players are more than just good players, they’re mentors, they’re leaders. They have to find ways to help other players play better and still sustain their level of play. And that’s what the great players do. And we’ve had a lot of them, but Bill really put it into a great perspective.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. RG III’s take: One of the NFL’s more compelling 2022 storylines will be how quarterback Mac Jones is affected by the Patriots’ new-look coaching staff.

Bill Belichick hasn’t named a coordinator or playcaller to fill Josh McDaniels’ void. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, whose backgrounds have primarily been on defense and special teams during their NFL careers, assumed leadership roles on offense in spring practices. Belichick was also usually nearby.

Some analysts have expressed concern it could stunt Jones’ growth in his second season, when players often make their biggest leap. But don’t put former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III in that category.

• Will NFC East have repeat champ?
• Noah Fant eyes breakthrough season
• A look at Isaiah Oliver’s recovery
• Which AFC East team can beat the Bills?
• MVS off to good start with Mahomes

“The coaching setup will have a massive impact on Mac Jones in a good way,” said Griffin, an ESPN analyst. “Mac has already spoken about how it has been a collaborative process with the coaches and players talking in meetings, installing the offense. And I believe that will lead to more ownership from him about what is being called and how he sees the game.”

Few dispute McDaniels’ excellence. Belichick compared him to Alabama coach Nick Saban last season, which is as high of a compliment as he could give. McDaniels, by all accounts, played a significant role in Jones’ development as a rookie.

At the same time, once the football is kicked off, the game is mostly in the players’ hands.

In that sense, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow — in a stellar second season in 2021 — helped elevate coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.

Likewise, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert — with a new coach (Brandon Staley) and offensive coordinator (Joe Lombardi) in his second season — had Los Angeles on the cusp of the playoffs in 2021.

For his part, Griffin sees championship potential from Jones, picking him over Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Zach Wilson (Jets), Justin Fields (Bears) and Davis Mills (Texans) as the Class of 2021 quarterback, who played significant snaps as a rookie, most likely to win a ring first. Griffin put Trey Lance (49ers) into the wild-card category because he mostly sat on the bench as a rookie.

See more

Mac Jones is MOST LIKELY to win a ring FIRST of the rookie QBs who played serious time last year. Bill Belichick and the @Patriots are defensive masterminds, out coach other teams and Mac Attack will stretch the field more after last year has his confidence on ROLL TIDE LEVELS.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 5, 2022

Griffin also highlighted another aspect of the Patriots’ coaching change that could help Jones.

“If you don’t know who the coordinator is, the scheme, or tendencies, it makes it harder to game plan against early in the year,” he said. “That will allow this unconventional staff to get its footing early in the year. Advantage Patriots.”

2. JMac’s take: Former Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty views it differently than Griffin.

“You’ll never hear anybody [on the team] say anything in the media … but it’s definitely going to be a big thing. It has to be,” McCourty said during his recent guest-hosting appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” show. “If you’re Mac Jones … who’s the guy you go to and say, ‘I want to run these plays this week’?”

3. Wise’s gift: Sixth-year Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. already knows what he’s getting for his 28th birthday this month: A grueling conditioning test. Wise’s birthday is July 26, which is the day veterans report for training camp.

“I’m used to it by now. I feel like every year since college, it’s been somewhere close to my birthday,” he said.

The Arkansas alum has been a regular throughout the month at Gillette Stadium, where he said he puts in six-hour work days to prepare.

4. Slater’s presence: Matthew Slater, the Patriots’ longest-tenured player (entering his 15th season), has been among the few joining Wise at the stadium. Slater turns 37 on Sept. 9, and his commitment to his craft remains as strong as ever.

5. BB and the red bandanna: In accepting the Spirit of Tewaaraton award last month for his contributions to lacrosse, Belichick spoke of how humbled and overwhelmed he was, in part because the late Welles Crowther was a prior winner. Belichick pulled a red bandanna from his back pocket and held it up as he spoke.

“It hit me hard. It hit me really hard. I was stunned, really,” Alison Crowther, Welles’ mother, said from her home in Nyack, N.Y. “He’s a coach of such success and prominence, and such focus on his team. So I was completely blown away. I sat there in tears. I couldn’t believe my ears that he would even know Welles’ story.”

See more

Bill Belichick honors Welles Crowther during his @Tewaaraton Spirit Award acceptance speech 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Dizi9xM4LK

— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) June 3, 2022

Crowther, aka “The Man in the Red Bandanna”, saved as many as 18 lives during the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City, where he worked as an equities trader and volunteer firefighter. Crowther graduated from Boston College, where he played lacrosse, in 1999.

In helping save others, Crowther lost his life.

Alison shares her son’s story when speaking with schools and corporations across the country, saying: “They embrace it and are inspired by it. That is the treasure I hold on to. Rather than the loss of Welles, just how alive he is in the spirit of so many people.”

So when Belichick mentioned him during his own acceptance speech, Alison was shocked. She had no prior connection to Belichick.

“I just see him as a really tough guy. Never smiles. And to see him speak the way he did about Welles, he had such heart in what he said. It was beautiful,” she said.

6. Rookie break: The Patriots’ offseason program ended in mid-June, but it wasn’t until early July that first-round offensive lineman Cole Strange and the team’s rookie class finished the NFL Rookie Transition Program. It helps orient rookies to local resources, club culture, history, leadership and expectations, with the NFL ensuring that all teams cover 15 mandatory topics. The rookie class now gets a short break before reporting for training camp July 19 (a week before most veterans), although some might choose to stick around.

7. Finish stronger: When McCourty assessed a top area for the Patriots to contend for the AFC East title against the heavily favored Bills, he said he’ll be watching how the team finishes the season. He noted Belichick’s annual saying that the season starts after Thanksgiving, and contrasted it to the team’s combined 8-9 record after the holiday over the past three seasons.

The Patriots’ schedule this season after Thanksgiving adds to the challenge of turning around that trend: vs. Bills, at Cardinals, at Raiders, vs. Bengals, vs. Dolphins, at Bills.

8. Renegade send-off: The three-time national champion Boston Renegades received a Patriots-based lift — in more ways than one — leading into Sunday’s Women’s Football Alliance title game against the Minnesota Vixen in Canton, Ohio (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Not only did owner Robert Kraft provide the Patriots’ plane for the trip, but quarterback Brian Hoyer addressed the Renegades before their departure.

9. Seymour’s presenter: When former Patriots and Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the weekend of Aug. 4-7, his presenter will be Titus Duren, who was the principal at Lower Richland High School (S.C.) when Seymour was a student there.

“He was a proud supporter throughout my entire career, and he’s also a pillar in the community in South Carolina. It’s a great way to tie my roots and what’s really important to me throughout my journey,” Seymour said. “He’s much more than a principal at the school. All the kids that went there, he knows their families. He was someone who really cared what everyone was doing. It wasn’t just a job for him.”

10. Did You Know: Of the four quarterbacks selected in the top 10 of the 2018 NFL draft — Baker Mayfield (No. 1), Sam Darnold (No. 3), Josh Allen (No. 7) and Josh Rosen (No. 10) — only Allen is still with his original team.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Dean a Patriots fit? Last year, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay hit the bull’s-eye in his final mock draft, projecting quarterback Mac Jones to the Patriots at No. 15. McShay correctly paired Jones’ skill set — specifically a knack for accuracy and decision-making — with what the Patriots valued at a significant position of need.

This year, inside linebacker is one of the Patriots’ top needs, and McShay has isolated one player who intrigues him most for Bill Belichick’s team in the 2022 NFL draft, which starts April 28 on ESPN.

“The one player I would kill to see with the Patriots — just because I love him and know where he would excel the most would be in New England with Bill — would be [Georgia’s] Nakobe Dean,” he said.

“I’ve talked and met with him, and I’ve talked with multiple scouts and we all kind of agree: There isn’t a better player in this class in terms of football IQ. You match that IQ with what New England tries to do — they’re so multiple and differentiate from week to week — that would be a lot of fun to watch.”

Dean might not be available at the Patriots’ first selection at No. 21; former Jets and Dolphins GM Mike Tannenbaum slots him 17th to the Los Angeles Chargers in his ESPN mock draft.

But if Dean is available, longtime observers of Belichick’s history drafting inside linebackers note that selecting him would represent a notable shift in approach. The reason is the 5-foot-11, 229-pound Dean is dramatically undersized compared to the Patriots’ prototype (think of 6-foot-3, 260-pound Dont’a Hightower).

McShay compares Dean to former New York Jets and New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. Those players might not have been known most for charging downhill and taking on guards — a staple for those playing the position under Belichick — but they were dynamic playmakers, especially in space.

And given how the NFL game continues to be spread out — and considering what the Patriots now face twice a year with read-option concepts from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — perhaps Belichick is more willing to consider a player like Dean in 2022 than he would have in the past.

“Find me a faster linebacker in terms of play speed in this class,” McShay said. “You’re talking about nine guys who could get drafted on that defensive side for Georgia, and he was the best player on it. You’re talking about a player — with two linebackers next to him in [Channing] Tindall and Quay Walker that are going to be drafted on Day 2 — and he’s two steps ahead almost every snap.”

2. Belichick bytes: Belichick showed up early to answer questions from reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, last week (surprising many), and here were three things — possibly lost a bit in the shuffle — that stood out in terms of how strongly he views a few people in the organization:

• WR Matthew Slater re-signed to one-year deal: “[He] will go up there, in the kicking game, with [Tom] Brady on offense and [Lawrence] Taylor on defense. So I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach all the players, but I’d say those three in particular.”

• Matt Groh, who was promoted to director of player personnel: “He really put the draft together last year. With Dave [Ziegler] leaving, I feel like he’s the best person to step into the personnel job. I think he’s as good as anybody we’ve had in that position.”

• S Devin McCourty re-signed to one-year deal: “Having Devin back, that makes a difference what we can do defensively.”

3. Corner market: The Patriots will ideally draft and develop a replacement for cornerback J.C. Jackson, although the team’s first-round slot at No. 21 might not represent the best value to do so.

McShay expects top cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (Cincinnati), Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU) and Trent McDuffie (Washington) to be off the board at that point, which would have the Patriots focusing on the second layer. Of the group, McShay likes Kaiir Elam (Florida) and Roger McCreary (Auburn) as Day 2 considerations.

“They would be good Patriots — they tackle, can play both man and zone. They can be multiple and adjust to weekly changes in the game plan,” he said.

(In a beat-writer mock draft for NewOrleansFootball.com, your faithful scribe pounced on McDuffie when he was unexpectedly available.)

4. Schedule planning: The Patriots have no shortage of compelling road trips this season — Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Pittsburgh for non-division foes — and a league source said the NFL is planning for its schedule release for the second week of May. As for international games, a source said the Patriots aren’t expected to be chosen to play the Cardinals in Mexico or Packers in London this season. The belief among the New England brain trust is that the team is most likely to play its next international game in Germany in 2023.

5. Jonnu’s offseason: One of the most significant things to come out of the NFL’s annual meeting from a Patriots perspective was learning that tight end Jonnu Smith plans to spend the offseason as part of the team’s voluntary offseason program. Smith didn’t do that last season, in part due to the birth of his daughter and COVID-19 considerations. Some around the team believed it wasn’t a coincidence that fellow tight end Hunter Henry — who had spent the majority of last offseason in town working with Jones & Co. — had a more productive first season in New England than Smith. Henry, by the way, was back in town last week.

6. Why not Williams? The lack of speed and difference-makers on the perimeter — both offensively and defensively — stood out to McShay when watching the Patriots in their 47-17 playoff loss to the Bills. It’s why he would endorse selecting Alabama receiver Jameson Williams at No. 21 if the board fell that way. It would require some patience, with Williams recovering from a torn ACL, but McShay said he wouldn’t be surprised if Williams ultimately becomes the best receiver in this year’s draft. “I just think the speed, having a guy that can get vertical, and also catch the 5-yarder and go 35, 40, 50 yards with it, would be excellent for them to have,” he said.

7. LaFleur’s void: In 13 NFL seasons, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has never been to Gillette Stadium, which he said is the league’s only older venue he’s never visited. “I hear it’s hard to win up there,” he said, referencing the Patriots’ league-best 130-31 home record since 2002 (although New England is 9-8 at home over the past two seasons). These are the types of nuggets a reporter picks up at the NFL annual meeting, where it’s commonplace to bump into coaches and strike up a conversation. LaFleur’s Packers aren’t scheduled to visit until 2026.

8. Patriots Hall call: After a one-year COVID-19-related hiatus to allow for 2020 inductee Richard Seymour to have the player stage to himself in 2021, the Patriots Hall of Fame committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to narrow the list of finalists for induction this year. Mike Vrabel has been a five-time finalist but has yet to get over the goal line. Maybe this is finally his year. Vince Wilfork and Wes Welker are newly eligible, and if they make it through the committee as the three finalists, it will be interesting to see how the final voting by fans would shake out.

9. AFC East tax for Parker: From a Dolphins perspective, trading receiver DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick is excellent value. Parker was Miami’s No. 4 receiver at best — behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson — and it also clears his base salaries of $5.65 million in 2022 and $5.7 million in 2023 off the books. So, while some might question the wisdom of trading Parker within the division, it’s hard to believe any other NFL team was offering a deal with as rich of an asset as a 2023 third-round pick. And for the receiver-needy Patriots, the deal probably doesn’t happen if they weren’t expecting a third-round compensatory pick due to the free-agent departure of Jackson.

10. Did you know? With the Patriots acquiring Parker and agreeing to a one-year deal with safety/punt returner Jabrill Peppers last week, they become the sixth and seventh players on the roster who entered the NFL as a first-round pick (2015 and 2017, respectively). The others are McCourty (2010), receiver Nelson Agholor (2015), offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn (2018), receiver N’Keal Harry (2019) and Jones (2021).