Tag: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Bucs’ GM: ‘Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history’

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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are back together, and now, the Buccaneers could have one of the best offenses in football. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired  Gronkowski as part of a trade with the New England Patriots, the team announced today. The Buccaneers sent a fourth-round selection (No.139 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft in exchange for Gronkowski and a 2020 seventh-round pick (No. 241 overall).

Before retiring after the 2018 NFL season, the 30-year-old Gronkowski spent all nine of his NFL seasons (2010-18) in New England, winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots during that time, while earning five Pro Bowl selections.

Gronkowski and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady spent nine seasons together in New England, combining for 78 touchdowns, a mark which ranks second all-time among quarterback-tight end connections and fifth in league history among all quarterback-receiver duos. The 7,786 regular season passing yards accumulated from Brady to Gronkowski also rank second among all quarterback to tight end combinations, trailing only Philip Rivers/Antonio Gates (9,352).

“Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history, and he plays the game with the type of passion and desire that sets him apart,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “Rob has played his entire career alongside Tom Brady, and their accomplishments speak for themselves. Together they have developed the type of chemistry on and off the field that is crucial to success. Rob combines elite-level skills as both a receiver and blocker, but what really makes him special is the fact that he’s a proven winner who brings that championship mindset and work ethic.”

With the addition of Gronkowski, it should be interesting to see what happens with TE O.J. Howard, who had been rumored to be on the trading block. It should be interesting to see if he is dealt during Thursday’s draft.

Obviously, anytime you acquire Brady, you are all in, and right now, it’s clear that the Buccaneers are all in. Gronk might have some rust to dust off, but that year away from football might have done him some good mentally and physically.

Sadly, Gronk will now have to relinquish his WWE 24/7 title that he won at Wrestlemania 36, but that should not be much of an issue. 

For now, with wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and the additions of Brady and Gronkowski, it’s happy times in Tampa Bay!

Tom Brady says goodbye to Patriots

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NFL free agency comes in and goes out very fast. Many of the big moves are made relatively quickly.

In a shocking but not surprising move, free-agent QB Tom Brady will not be returning to New England, he announced on Twitter today.

While the 42-year-old Brady did not say where he was going, Brady made it clear that he will not be playing for the Patriots in 2020.

Where the 20-year veteran goes will be interesting, but for now, we all wait and see. 

Read what Brady had to say below:

Patriots lead the way with four compensatory picks in 2020 NFL Draft

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A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2020 NFL Draft have been awarded to 15 teams, the NFL announced today.

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents (“CFA”) than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors.  The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council.  Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.  No club may receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year.  If a club qualifies for more than four compensatory picks after offsetting each CFA lost by each CFA gained of an equal or higher value, the four highest remaining selections will be awarded to the club.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the number of compensatory selections to the number of clubs then in the League (32).  This year, one club, the New York Giants, qualified for a compensatory selection under the net loss formula but will not receive that pick because the final numerical value of the CFA who was lost ranked 33rd among the final numerical values of all compensatory selections.  The New York Giants will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32.

The following 2020 compensatory draft picks have been determined by the NFL Management Council for the 2020 NFL Draft, which will be held on April 23-25 in Las Vegas:​

Round

Round Choice/

Overall Selection

Team

3

33-97

Houston

3

34-98

New England

3

35-99

New York Giants

3

36-100

New England

3

37-101

Seattle

3

38-102

Pittsburgh

3

39-103

Philadelphia

3

40-104

Los Angeles Rams

3

41-105

Minnesota

3

42-106

Baltimore

4

33-139

Tampa Bay

4

34-140

Chicago

4

35-141

Miami

4

36-142

Washington

4

37-143

Baltimore

4

38-144

Seattle

4

39-145

Philadelphia

4

40-146

Philadelphia

5

33-178

Denver

5

34-179

Dallas

6

33-212

New England

6

34-213

New England

6

35-214

Seattle

7

33-247

New York Giants

7

34-248

Houston

7

35-249

Minnesota

7

36-250

Houston

7

37-251

Miami

7

38-252

Denver

7

39-253

Minnesota

7

40-254

Denver

7

41-255

New York Giants

The compensatory free agents lost and gained in 2019 by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2020 Draft:

BALTIMORE

Lost:

Brown, John; Mosley, C.J.; Smith, Za’Darius; Suggs, Terrell

Gained:

Ingram, Mark; Thomas, Earl

CHICAGO

Lost:

Amos, Adrian; Bellamy, Josh; Callahan, Bryce; Kush, Eric

Gained:

Clinton-Dix, Ha Ha; Patterson, Cordarrelle; Skrine, Buster

DALLAS

Lost:

Beasley, Cole; Swaim, Geoff; Wilson, Damien

Gained:

Cobb, Randall; Covington, Christian

DENVER

Lost:

Barrett, Shaquil; Brock, Tramaine; Garcia, Max; Paradis, Matt; Roby, Bradley; Turner, Billy

Gained:

Callahan, Bryce; Jackson, Kareem; James, Ja’Wuan

HOUSTON

Lost:

Covington, Christian; Jackson, Kareem; Lamm, Kendall; Mathieu, Tyrann

Gained:

Roby, Bradley

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Lost:

Joyner, Lamarcus; Saffold, Rodger

Gained:

Matthews, Clay

MIAMI

Lost:

Bolden, Brandon; Gore, Frank; James, Ja’Wuan; Wake, Cameron

Gained:

Fitzpatrick, Ryan; Rowe, Eric

MINNESOTA

Lost:

Compton, Tom; Easton, Nick; Richardson, Sheldon; Siemian, Trevor

Gained:

Stephen, Shamar

NEW ENGLAND

Lost:

Brown, Malcom; Brown, Trenton; Flowers, Trey; Hogan, Chris; Patterson, Cordarrelle; Rowe, Eric; Waddle, LaAdrian

Gained:

Bolden, Brandon

NEW YORK GIANTS

Lost:

Brown, Jamon; Collins, Landon; Edwards, Mario; Mauro, Josh; Webb, B.W.; Wynn, Kerry

Gained:

Golden, Markus; Tate, Golden

PHILADELPHIA

Lost:

Foles, Nick; Hicks, Jordan; Tate, Golden

Gained:

PITTSBURGH

Lost:

Bell, Le’Veon; James, Jesse

Gained:

Nelson, Steven

SEATTLE

Lost:

Coleman, Justin; Hundley, Brett; Stephen, Shamar; Sweezy, J.R.; Thomas, Earl

Gained:

Iupati, Mike; Myers, Jason

TAMPA BAY

Lost:

Alexander, Kwon; Fitzpatrick, Ryan; Humphries, Adam; Taylor, Adarius

Gained:

Barrett, Shaquil; Perriman, Breshad; Pinion, Bradley

WASHINGTON

Lost:

Clinton-Dix, Ha Ha; Crowder, Jamison; Nsekhe, Ty; Smith, Preston

Gained:

Collins, Landon; Flowers, Ereck; Rodgers-Cromartie, Dominique​


2020 NFL COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS

New England

4

Denver

3

Houston

3

Minnesota

3

New York Giants

3

Philadelphia

3

Seattle

3

Baltimore

2

Miami

2

Chicago

1

Dallas

1

Los Angeles Rams

1

Pittsburgh

1

Tampa Bay

1

Washington

1

TOTAL

32

Mahomes on OT in AFC title game: ‘I had the utmost confidence the defense was going to get the stop’

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It’s been almost year since Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs fell at home to the eventual world champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, and on Sunday, the Chiefs have an opportunity to get revenge when they head to Foxboro to battle the Patriots.

In the AFC title game, the Patriots got off to a great start and led 14-0 at halftime, but the Chiefs’ offense finally woke up in the second half and would score 31 points. However, it was not enough as the Patriots would defeat the Chiefs 37-31 in OT. 

You got the sense going into OT that whoever received the ball first was going to win that game, and fortunately for the Patriots, they would receive the ball first, and even though the Chiefs’ defense struggled last season, and in the AFC title game, Mahomes believed the defense could get them the ball back in the extra period.

“Obviously, when you lose to a team, you’ll want to beat them the next time you play them,” Mahomes said on Wednesday. “I remember being on the sideline and having full confidence the defense was going to make the stop, and they got really close several times on that drive.

“You never have that defeated feeling until after the game is over, you would say. I had the utmost confidence the defense was going to get the stop in that possession, and we just came up a little short.”

The Chiefs were probably better than New England last season, and if Dee Ford does not line up offsides, which nullified an interception late in the contest, the Chiefs win that game. However, Tom Brady is Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick is Bill Belichick. In the end, that was slightly too much for the Chiefs.

Allen on playing Pats: ‘We understand what this game kind of means to fans and people around the league’

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It’s only Week 4 in the NFL, but it appears that the 3-0 Buffalo Bills could be for real, and while you may say Buffalo has defeated two 0-3 teams, it’s clear that there is a decent amount of talent on this roster. Statistically, the Bills are ranked in the top-10 on both offense and defense, and they seem to have a decent quarterback in Josh Allen.

However, all of that will be put to the test when the Bills battle the world champion and undefeated New England Patriots(3-0) in Buffalo on Sunday. The Patriots look like the best team in football. Obviously, there is Tom Brady, who at age 42, is still playing at an elite level. Additionally, the Patriots’ defense is playing at an elite level as well. After three weeks, the Patriots have the number one ranked defense in football, and only have allowed 17 points in three games.

Many believe this game will tell us a lot about the Bills, but according to Allen, it’s just another game for Buffalo.

“Well, I think every week, really is a measuring stick. And, you know, we’re not trying to approach this any differently than we would in the game,” Allen said on Wednesday. “It’s the most important game that we’re playing right now because it’s the next one. So we’re going in with that mindset. And, you know, we understand what this game kind of means to fans and people around the league, but in house, you know, we’re just trying to go 1-0 every week.

“Doesn’t matter who we’re playing. But we know that this team prepares well, you know, they’re 3-0 for a reason they got, you know, one of the greatest ever do it, you know, their quarterback position and head coach. So yeah, we got to be fundamentally sound, we got to understand what we’re trying to do, and really key on ways to try to, you know, get a job done on Sunday.”

Allen can try to downplay this game all he wants, but in reality, this game may not tell us everything about the Bills, but it will tell us something. At this point, we know that the AFC East is a two-team race, and we know that the Bills are better than last year. However, we will find out how much better they truly are after Sunday.

Aaron Hernandez talked about coming back to the NFL

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According to notes from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, which was released by ESPN’s Michele Steele, Aaron Hernandez had talked about returning to the NFL, even if it was not with the Patriots. Hernandez, who committed suicide back in April, was acquitted of double murder before his death.  Hernandez was also said to be a “spiritual guy,” according to prison notes.

We will always play the “What If” game when it comes to the life of Aaron Hernandez.

Aaron Hernandez found not guilty of double-murder

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A jury in Boston found Aaron Hernandez not guilty of murder in the first-degree on Friday.

Hernandez was accused of killing Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in a drive-by- shooting back in 2012. According to the prosecution, the two were murdered because one of them spilled a drink on Hernandez in a club.

Already serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd, Hernandez was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm on Friday, and will serve four to five years for that charge.