‘Tom Brady and Co. should make sure work of this one, clinching the AFC East championship for an NFL record 10th consecutive season.’
Archives for December 2018
View from Vegas: Picking Bills-Pats game far from layup
‘Couple that with New England’s naughty 2-10 ATS mark as favorites in second-to-last home games of the season when hosting foes with losing records, along with Buffalo’s bawdy No. 2 overall ranked defense (83 ypg better than the Pats), and you have the makings of another possible eyebrow raiser in Foxborough.’
Are Josh Allen’s accuracy issues real?
‘“I think every game is such a unique situation,” said Daboll, who admitted he doesn’t pay much attention to completion percentage. “Everybody would like to be 80, 78, 75, 71 percent, but you kind of need to peel it back and figure out the reasons why. At the end of the day the quarterback really needs to be judged on leading his team down to score points and taking care of the football and giving us an opportunity for us to have success. The most important thing is that letter (W or L) at the end of the day.”’
Bills’ Tre’Davious White wants his haters to keep chirping
‘“They love you when you’re playing well but then you give up a few passes and you’re the worst in the league,” White said on Wednesday after practice. “I came into this profession knowing that if I make plays, I’m great. And if I don’t, I’ll be heavily scrutinized because of the position I play.”’
Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘It’s surreal to face off against Tom Brady’
‘”It’s kind of surreal that I get a chance to face off against him,” Allen said. “His game, he’s been on ever since he’s been on the field. The way he attacks the game, how smart he is football wise – situational football – is one of his key strengths. He’s just arguably one of the greatest to ever play.”‘
Patriots’ Josh Gordon stepping away from NFL to ‘focus on my mental health’
‘CBS reports the move may not be entirely voluntary, as the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said Gordon is facing another indefinite suspension for possible violation of the substance abuse policy. Gordon was suspended for substance abuse in 2013 and 2014, and did not play in 2015 or 2016. In 2017, he told GQ magazine he had drugs or alcohol in his system for “probably every game of my career.”’
Patriots need to stop the run this weekend vs. Buffalo
‘“We saw Ivory and McCoy the last time. We’ve seen plenty of those guys throughout the years,” Belichick said. “They’re both very good. They have different styles. You can put Ford in there. He’s a tough, hardworking kid that runs hard. We can’t control who’s in there. We have to defend our area, defeat our blockers and the tackling part of it is a little bit different from player to player. But again, fundamentally, if you tackle well then that’s the place to start. That’ll be our emphasis.”’
What They’re Saying: Buffalo Bills
‘”They’ve been the standard of our division for the last 15 years. For us to go up there and beat them would be huge obviously for the city, for our team and organization, because they are a team that has really had our number since I have been here. It would show a lot of growth for a young football team to be able to go into their place and find a way to win.”‘
Friday’s New England Coverage
Josh Gordon announces mental health break hours before he is suspended indefinitely (Boston Globe)
Without Josh Gordon, pressure builds on Patriots’ receiver corps (Boston Globe)
How Josh Gordon’s exit affects the Patriots on the field (Boston Globe)
Josh Gordon’s story is not a football story. Maybe it never should’ve been (Boston Globe)
How Tedy Bruschi and other national media reacted to Josh Gordon’s announcement (Boston Globe)
Players express surprise, support for Josh Gordon (Boston Globe)
Patriots WR Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely by NFL (Boston Herald)
Guregian: Patriots offense has problems beyond losing Josh Gordon (Boston Herald)
Keegan: Patriots gamble on Josh Gordon not worth the risk (Boston Herald)
Pressures of success can ripen chances of mental health issues (Boston Herald)
Josh Gordon’s career path (Boston Herald)
Patriots rally behind suspended teammate Josh Gordon (Boston Herald)
Patriots WR Cordarrelle Patterson absent from start of practice (Boston Herald)
Josh Gordon leaving Patriots, stepping away for his ‘mental health’ amid reports of new drug suspension (Springfield Republican)
Josh Gordon indefinite suspension: NFL makes New England Patriot receiver’s punishment official (Springfield Republican)
Josh Gordon: New England Patriots receiver could face severe punishment if he violated substance abuse policy (Report) (Springfield Republican)
Josh Gordon’s departure cripples New England Patriots’ Super Bowl hopes | Andrew Callahan (Springfield Republican)
New England Patriots face lost potential, new reality moving on without Josh Gordon (Springfield Republican)
New England Patriots release statement announcing support of Josh Gordon (Springfield Republican)
Josh Gordon ‘stepping away from football’ amid reports of imminent suspension: Fans, media, players react (Springfield Republican)
New England Patriots react to Josh Gordon’s suspension: ‘I will continue to support him any way I can’ (Springfield Republican)
Cordarrelle Patterson absent from New England Patriots practice Thursday (Springfield Republican)
Rob Gronkowski added to New England Patriots injury report Thursday (Springfield Republican)
Josh Gordon “stepping away” from Patriots (Providence Journal)
Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely by NFL (Providence Journal)
Patriots hope the best for Josh Gordon off the field (Providence Journal)
Patriots need to stop the run this weekend vs. Buffalo (Providence Journal)
Cordarrelle Patterson missing from Patriots practice (Providence Journal)
Gordon leaves Pats for ‘mental health’ break (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)
Patriots receiver Gordon suspended indefinitely (Daily News of Newburyport)
Cerullo: Gordon suspension presents opportunity for Dorsett (Daily News of Newburyport)
Mike Shalin’s Working Press: This may be the end of Josh Gordon’s career (Manchester Union Leader)
Pats now look for a new plan without Gordon (Nashua Telegraph)
Patriots WR Josh Gordon stepping away from football, suspended indefinitely by NFL (USA Today)
Josh Gordon the person matters more than Josh Gordon the NFL player after latest setback (USA Today)
Good, bad and ugly: Josh Gordon’s troubled career in football (USA Today)
NFL suspends Patriots’ Gordon for substance abuse violation (AP)
WR Gordon suspended indefinitely (The Sports Xchange)
Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely for violating terms of conditional reinstatement (ESPN)
Patriots’ Josh Gordon suspended while he steps away from football to focus on mental health (CBS Sports)
Patriots WR Josh Gordon Steps Away From Football, Receives Indefinite Suspension (SI)
Josh Gordon ‘stepping away’ from Patriots, suspended again by NFL (The Sporting News)
Josh Gordon timeline: Wide receiver’s twisting path leads him away from Browns, Patriots (The Sporting News)
Facing Suspension, Patriots’ Josh Gordon Steps Away To Focus On Mental Health (NESN)
Josh Gordon Officially Suspended, Opening Spot On Patriots Roster (NESN)
Patriots Issue Brief Statement On Josh Gordon, Express Support For Wideout (NESN)
NFL Rumors: Josh Gordon’s Suspension Could Mean ‘Banishment’ From NFL (NESN)
Patriots React To Josh Gordon Suspension: ‘He Was A Great Teammate’ (NESN)
How Will Josh Gordon’s Reported Ban Affect Patriots On And Off The Field? (NESN)
Patriots Unsure How To Support Josh Gordon Through Mental Health Issues (NESN)
Resetting Patriots’ Receiving Corps With Josh Gordon Now Suspended (NESN)
Tedy Bruschi Hopeful Patriots’ Josh Gordon Can Overcome His ‘Demons’ (NESN)
Peter King Suggests Patriots ‘Extremely Naive’ To Count On Josh Gordon (NESN)
Patriots Injury Report: Here’s Why Cordarrelle Patterson Missed Practice (NESN)
Cordarrelle Patterson Absent From Patriots Practice After Josh Gordon Departure (NESN)
Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely for violating reinstatement terms (NBC Sports Boston)
NFL Rumors: Josh Gordon tried to “get ahead” of suspension news with tweet (NBC Sports Boston)
Josh Gordon leaving the Patriots hurts, on many different levels (NBC Sports Boston)
Patriots express concern for Gordon’s well-being, insist Bills are the focus (NBC Sports Boston)
Social media stunned by Patriots WR Josh Gordon’s impending suspension (NBC Sports Boston)
How Josh Gordon news impacts Patriots’ depth chart at wide receiver (NBC Sports Boston)
The state of the Patriots’ receiving corps without Josh Gordon (NBC Sports Boston)
What does future hold for Patriots’ Josh Gordon after latest suspension? (NBC Sports Boston)
In context, Josh Gordon’s Patriots tenure was historically successful (NBC Sports Boston)
Josh Gordon timeline: WR has long, troubled substance abuse history (NBC Sports Boston)
Josh Gordon officially back on reserve/commissioner suspended list (WEEI-FM)
Patriots reportedly had an idea something was coming with Josh Gordon (WEEI-FM)
Hannable: Why Patriots offense will survive without Josh Gordon (WEEI-FM)
Patriots players react to Josh Gordon’s suspension (WEEI-FM)
Matthew Slater: I will be praying for Josh Gordon (WEEI-FM)
Tedy Bruschi reacts to Josh Gordon situation (WEEI-FM)
DeOssie on Josh Gordon’s Patriots teammates: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if some guys are mad at him’ (WEEI-FM)
Peter King to D&K: Counting on Josh Gordon is ‘extremely naive’ (WEEI-FM)
Rob Gronkowski added to Patriots injury report, while Cordarrelle Patterson misses practice due to illness (WEEI-FM)
Cordarrelle Patterson, Josh Gordon missing from start of Patriots practice Thursday (WEEI-FM)
Josh Gordon Suspended Indefinitely By NFL For Substance Abuse Violation (WBZ-TV)
Josh Gordon News A Bummer For All Involved Parties (WBZ-TV)
Patriots Support Josh Gordon, Will Respect His Privacy During Personal Matter (WBZ-TV)
Former Patriots Teammates React To Josh Gordon’s Suspension (WBZ-TV)
Statement from the New England Patriots on Josh Gordon (Patriots.com)
Statement: Gordon steps away (Patriots.com)
Wrap Up 12/20: Teammates react to Gordon news (Patriots.com)
What They’re Saying: Buffalo Bills (Patriots.com)
Scouting the Matchup: Pats look to bounce back against Bills (Patriots.com)
Week 16: Patriots – Bills Injury Report (Patriots.com)
Patriots chasing 10th straight AFC East crown vs. Bills
‘Brady owns a 29-3 record against Bills. His 29 wins against Buffalo are the most victories by a quarterback against a single opponent. Next is Brady’s 26 wins against Jets.’
Bills-Patriots Preview Capsule
‘Buffalo has topped 200 yards passing in its past three outings, its best run of season. Last time that happened was Tyrod Taylor’s five-game run from Nov. 23-Dec. 20, 2015.’
Clayton: The Bills are “starting to close the gap. Maybe New England’s days of lapping the field are done”
‘”They’re starting to close the gap. Maybe [New England’s] days of lapping the field are done.”‘
How LeSean McCoy helped put Robert Foster’s game on the right path
‘“I said, ‘Instead of complaining about this or that, get better. Show the coaches you should be playing,’” said McCoy. “I felt like he felt so entitled like he was on scholarship. I told him. ‘Hey man, you haven’t done s—t here and once you stop complaining, go out there on scout team and work hard and bust you’re a—in the weight room. Know the plays and be smarter.’”’
Scouting Report: Week 16 – Bills vs. Patriots
‘New England rarely beats themselves, especially at home. Giving them additional possessions on offense with turnovers is a recipe for disaster. Buffalo has to be disciplined with ball security and Allen has to build on a positive outing last week in terms of his decision making to maintain possession and not hand the Patriots extra opportunities with the ball.’
Bills Today: Bruce Arians: Josh Allen’s game is growing
‘“I love his athleticism,” Arians said during an appearance on One Bills Live. “I think he’s growing as a player. He’s obviously got a strong arm, and with those young receivers, they’re putting it down the field. He’s not afraid to run, I think he needs to start becoming more careful.”‘