Good morning. We hope you all had a Happy New Year. The Patriots season ends today. Buffalo plays on, so this is just a necessary evil for them, playing and not caring a bit about the score but hoping that their roster comes through this unscathed. Don’t begrudge them for that.
Just a few years ago (which seems a lot longer these days), the Patriots had to play these meaningless games, and we’d watch in silence while secretly hoping Bill would yank Brady out before the unthinkable happened. It did one year to Wes Welker in Houston.
But this is one of those games where Buffalo could care less about the score, but the Patriots should…very much so. Look, I think nothing will be gained by beating Buffalo this afternoon. If you’re looking for a silver lining or something to build on for this awful, at times frustrating season, those days are long past.
The best thing for the Patriots to do today…is lose. It shouldn’t be hard, right? They’ve done it 13 times out of 16 so far this year. So, one more loss, and they secure the #1 pick in the draft this upcoming spring. With the franchise quarterback already secured, use that #1 pick to slide back a few spots, get some extra draft capital this year, and start filling those holes in the roster.
Buffalo will rest as many starters as they can. With the ridiculous 46-man game-day roster, it is harder to rest everyone (but I digress). Jerod Mayo should do the same. I wouldn’t even dress Drake Maye (more of this below). I’d start Joe Milton and let him get some valuable regular-season experience, even if most of Buffalo’s starters aren’t playing.
I’d have Milton, Javon Baker, Jaheim Bell, and Terrell Jennings play all game—Layden Robinson at LG and Caedan Wallace at right tackle. Let the kids play. Milton may throw 98mph fastballs on two-yard routes, but I would love it. Air the ball out and let him play.
Judging by the way the defense has been playing, Mitch Trubisky should be good enough to pull off a victory as the Bills advance in the playoffs. So, with the Bills resting some of their players and the Patriots “should be” resting some of theirs, it may feel like a good preseason game.
And speaking of Mitch, with all the banter going on about Eliot Wolf trading back to take Polk and Baker and let McConkey go to the Bolts, the feeling was that Pop Douglas was going to have a big second year, and they didn’t need to add another slot guy.
So, what does this have to do with Trubisky you ask? He was taken seven (7), siete, sieben, Семь (Russian, I’m told) spots before Patty Mahomes. OUCH.
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:
Brenden Schooler: The Patriots special teams’ ace has been selected to the Pro Bowl, and it is well-deserved. Schooler tied for the lead in the AFC in Special Teams tackles and was the highest graded gunner in the AFC by PFF.
Schooler was signed to a three-year extension, worth $9 million with $3.6 million fully guaranteed last October and it has proven to be money well-spent. Schooler even played some defense this year as a quarterback spy and blitzer in the Patriots’ “Longhorn Package” named after him.
Schooler was named an All-Pro last season and to the Pro Bowl this year. He’s taken over the role that Matthew Slater held done so well for so long. Unfortunately, the Patriots had one player snubbed for the Pro Bowl this year. Christian Gonzalez should have been selected but finished eighth among cornerbacks for the honor.
Jahlani Tavai: The Patriots’ linebacker appeared on WEEI this week and had some pointed comments directed at Patriots fans after they booed the team last week. They were also calling for Jerod Mayo to be fired.
“There’s a reason why they’re fans. Everybody can say what they think we should be doing, but in the long end (sic), they’re not qualified to do what Mayo is doing or whatever the Krafts are doing,” Tavai said. “They’re fans, I appreciate them at times, but sometimes they just gotta know their place and just understand that it’s a work in progress. Rome wasn’t built in one day.”
Tavai should understand that the fans pay for everything in the NFL, they have the right to boo. His take came off as tone-deaf.
Jeremy Springer: The Patriots’ Special Teams Coordinator is a guy who gets it. Let’s call it the opposite of what we just heard from Tavai above. He’s a guy who takes accountability for his job.
Springer had some great things to say about the fans booing and took it in a different direction.
“So I’m all about the team and the fans, too. There are people in those stands – and I know because I was a kid once and my parents couldn’t afford to go to football games – like, they’re expensive tickets. To bring your whole family to the game, that’s $1,000 you’re probably spending in one day.
“And then to lose like we did, I mean, they’re upset. They’re frustrated. And they should be. We need to put a better product on the field and that’s what our job is. So any time I hear that, I’m like, ‘What can I do better so they’re not doing that next time? What can I do better to be a better coordinator, to be a better coach, to make our players play harder and play better so that we don’t hear that?’ Because they have every right to do that, in my opinion.
“It’s professional sports. If you don’t want to (hear) that, go coach in Alaska – six-man football. Then you won’t hear that, because that’s all your family in the stands. But this is different. This is professional football.“
Shouldn’t the head coach be saying this?
Brian Flores: With all of the talk about Jerod Mayo’s future with the team, or lack thereof, nearly all the speculation centers around Mike Vrabel, and rightfully so. He’s a natural fit, loves it in New England, and was a smart, fantastic, two-way player as an OLB and TE who caught 11 touchdowns on 11 passes from Tom Brady… a pretty good ratio.
He was also a successful coach who took his team to an AFC Championship Game without ever really having a franchise QB. And for those who point to his coaching record, the teams he coached were always seen as overachievers.
But if they let Mayo go, which doesn’t appear to be happening, why wouldn’t Flores be a good choice? He’s a proven excellent defensive coordinator and was a good head coach with the Dolphins, who got a raw deal from ownership. If the Krafts decide to part ways with the current regime, Flores would be a guy to watch, especially if the Vikings make a deep playoff run.
Mike Vrabel: If you want to read a great story about who Mike Vrabel is and what kind of culture he’d bring to the table, for New England or anyone else, check out Zack Rosenblatt’s story on Vrabel in The Athletic. Outstanding piece.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Derek and I recorded this week’s podcast. We discussed the embarrassing loss to LA, and opined on how we think they should proceed this week and beyond. Please check us out and give us a listen on YouTube, Apple, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Area 51 News: Drake Maye Shouldn’t Start or Even Dress Today—
There are no players to watch, key matchups, or other such things this week. It is time to protect the future.
The Patriots are playing a significant game today. Not for some team-building rah, rah stuff. No. They’re playing for the #1 pick in the draft and should plan accordingly. I’m not saying they tank because I don’t believe in that.
They should approach this game like the Bills, protecting their key players for the future. For Buffalo, that’s next week, and for the Patriots, it’s in March.
Free agency starts in March, and the Patriots have a boatload of money to spend once FA starts. Or should I say, overspend because the only way they’ll get top-tier guys to come to New England is to overpay. As I wrote above, the glory days of the Patriots are becoming a distant memory.
The days of wanting to play for Bill? He’s in North Carolina trying to entice high school kids to play for him. Tom Brady is retired and in the broadcast booth, making a boatload of money. I don’t believe anyone will break down the door to play for Jerod Mayo right now.
So, the Patriots have only two selling points right now. Lots of cash and Drake Maye. He has been getting a ton of kudos from players on other teams all season, and if they’re trying to convince a top WR to come to New England (cough, cough), Tee Higgins. Maybe he can be sold to come here on a three-year deal, being well overpaid and knowing he can play with Maye. Higgins would still only be 29 in a few years and still very much in for a big payday.
With Maye, you may get Higgins. With Higgins, more FAs would be willing to come. But the selling point is playing with Maye. What happens if Maye gets badly injured in today’s game and was forced to miss time next season? It would be catastrophic to this team’s spring.
No offense to Jacoby Brissett, who I like, but nobody would want to come here to play with him. If he’s even here in 2025. Milton is still too raw and unproven.
Mayo shouldn’t tempt fate and screw this up unless they want to carry $80 million plus in salary cap space to 2026. Maye should be cheering on his teammates in sweats today, just in case Mayo has a change of heart…right, Gibson?
Plan it right and try to turn this Titanic of a mess around. But you must have a plan so it doesn’t blow up in your face. However, the question remains, do the Patriots have a plan?
“Russians don’t even take a dump without a plan son,” Former senator Fred Thompson in the film “The Hunt for the Red October”
Parting Shots:
The Jets have interviewed former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for the vacant GM job. Riddick played six seasons for the Falcons, Raiders, and Browns before moving to scout and other front-office jobs.
He was the Eagles Director of Pro Player Personnel from 2010 until 2013. He’s been with ESPN since 2013. Aaron Rodgers, who could be playing his final NFL game, said playing for the Jets has been “the best two years of my life.”
“Gratitude, honestly,” Rodgers said when asked how he viewed his time with New York. “It’s been the best two years of my life. And that’s a perspective adjustment that happened at some point during the rehab process last year. Just the excitement of falling back in love with the game, getting to know these guys in here, getting to know the great men and women who work here, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Tonight’s game between Detroit and Minnesota should be as exciting of a game as we’ve seen this year. Dan Campbell’s Lions are poised for the #1 seed, but the Vikings are right on their heels. What a job Kevin O’Connell has done with Sam Darnold. A great example of what coaching can do for a young QB.
______________
Week 18 Predictions:
Saturday, January 4
Baltimore over Cleveland
Cincinnati over Pittsburgh
Sunday, January 5
Atlanta over Carolina
Washington over Dallas
Green Bay over Chicago
Tennessee over Houston
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Buffalo over New England
Philadelphia over NYG
Tampa Bay over New Orleans
Denver over Kansas City
LA Chargers over Las Vegas
Seattle over LA Rams
Miami over NYJ
Arizona over San Francisco
Sunday Night Football:
Detroit over Minnesota
Bye Week: None
Last week: 14—2
2024 Season 193—63
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
______________
“Good morning. Before we get into football things, this morning, we took a couple of minutes out of our squad meeting to recognize a couple of people, one being Nancy Meier.
“This is her 50th year here with the organization, which is definitely impressive. If you do anything for 50 years, it’s something to recognize. She’s been fantastic and a lot of love from the players, past players, and current players. Everyone that comes in here goes in there and signs the contract with Nancy in there.
“The second thing is the Ed Block Courage Award. It’s given to a player on a team – all 32 teams – that displays courage, faces adversity, goes through all that stuff, and returns to play. This year it is Cole Strange, and he won the Ed Block Courage Award.
“So, that’s what we started off with this morning. Getting into football, just excited for another opportunity to get on the field. The guys are still dialed in, ready to go, and looking forward to going out there and playing a good football game.”
Patriots Head coach Jerod Mayo recognized Nancy Meier on her 50th anniversary with the team and Cole Strange, who was awarded the team’s Ed Block Courage Award.
