The Show Goes On

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that the draft will go on as scheduled from April 23-25. It will be scaled back with no live audience.

Critics complain that teams have not been able to schedule visits and physicals.

They have a valid point, but much work was done in the past year on these players. It won't be perfect, but the show should go on as long as proper precautions are taken.

Cap Is Tight

Reports show that the Pats have the 2nd smallest salary cap space with only $891,775 available to sign free agents and players on the roster.

They will need to either release some or renegotiate their contracts.

This happens every year. It could be worse. The Chiefs have only $177 to sign anyone.

Time For Bill

I love the Pats Hall of Fame at the stadium. Fans should check it out.

There are so many players that deserve the honor of induction.

Bill Parcells should be part of it, but the history is long with him and team ownership.

I really hope it happens by Executive Order.

No Tanking

Tom Brady's departure has created all sorts of bizarre comments by fans and talk show people. They are writing their own narrative about conspiracy theories.

One of the craziest ideas is that Coach Belichick will tank the season in order to get one of the top quarterbacks in 2021.

That is such a foolish thought for so many reasons. It goes against everything Belichick believes in. He needs to keep winning for a several more seasons if he has any hope to pass Don Shula for the most career wins in NFL history.

Quarterbacks Waiting

Some veteran free agent quarterbacks are not seeing a market for their services. This could change after the draft or during training camp.

There is a very good possibly that either Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston might not find a roster spot by September.

Bill's Emmy Nomination

It is so crazy to think that Bill Belichick has been nominated for an Emmy award for his work with the NFL Network's "All-Time 100 Players" show. He was so outstanding and deserves to win over Charles Barkley, Jay Bilas, Al Leiter, Kenny Smith and Michael Strahan.

His nomination is for "Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Analyst". Fans never see this side of him.

Clowney Not Clowning

Some players are determined to get the maximum amount of money even if there is no market for them.

Seahawks DE Jadaveon Clowney wants a multi-year deal for at least $20 million annually, but teams are not knocking on his door because of his injury history.

He might be better off with a one year contract and try again next year assuming he has a decent season.

No To Watson

The departure of Tom Brady has created endless speculation on who will play quarterback for the Pats next season.

One of the craziest rumors is to trade with the Texans for Deshaun Watson. The price would be incredibly high at two future first round picks, as well as selections in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds. OL Joe Thuney would also be part of it.

Why would any team do this deal? It's one thing to lose all these draft picks, but the salary cap implications for Watson would strangle the team for years.

The Last Kick

It was inevitable that the Pats would move on from kicker Stephen Gostkowski. They picked up almost $4 million in salary cap space on a 36 year old trying to come back from season ending hip surgery.

He will leave as the all-time points leader for the Pats. He had 14 awesome seasons other than the injury last year.

He might have a future with another team, but it all depends on his hip.

The injury didn't happen overnight. It might be time to move on. I'm sure he had a lot of time to think about his future.

Hoyer 3.0

It looks like QB Brian Hoyer will begin his third stint with the Pats since they signed him in 2009 as an undrafted player. He has been with five teams with 39 starts. His experience as a backup will help Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler.

He knows the offense after playing behind Tom Brady in 2017 and 2018.

He had just finished the first of a three year contract with the Colts, but became expendable when they signed Phillip Rivers.

Brady's departure to Tampa Bay will give Hoyer at least another year in the league.

The Great Ben Watson

The Pats will probably go big when it comes to finding tight ends in the draft or free agency. They only have Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosee after the expected retirement of Ben Watson.

The former first round pick of the Pats in the 2004 draft got everything he could from his career. Although he never won a Super Bowl, he was on the 2007 team which came within one elusive victory of a perfect season.

He left to joint the Saints in 2008 and another stint with the Ravens before signing with the Pats in 2019 with a hope of one last chance for a ring.

He had numerous injuries, but leaves the game with 547 receptions for 6,058 yards and 44 TD's.

A Key Position

The Pats signed free agent FB Dan Vitale who has played four seasons between the Browns and Packers. He has been very productive and could play a vital role in the running game.

The offense took a big hit last year when James Devlin suffered a neck injury and was lost for the season. His status for 2020 is unclear.

I'm sure the team will look for additional help in the draft.

Payton's In His Place

Coronavirus has impacted life so much around the world.

The NFL free agency process has been impacted with all the restrictions.

Saints coach Sean Payton announced that he tested positive for it, but was in recovery.

It's amazing to see the real life stories. Maybe he can raise awareness.

They All Move On

It's interesting to hear that Coach Belichick was caught off guard by Tom Brady's decision to move on. Fans need to realize that Brady wanted out and it was never going to happen again in Foxborough.

They should be happy that he is ending his careers on his own terms and with a lot of money.

Tom vs Contract

It's probably best that Tom Brady and the Pats move on to their own future. He has a deal lined up in Tampa Bay that will pay him $30 annually. He will also have a say in personnel and play selection. He would never have that or the money in Foxborough.

This should work out well for all parties. Team owner Robert Kraft had great sentiment, but it was a business decision at the end of the day.

He was never the future with the Pats. His financial numbers and salary cap implication made a deal unlikely.

Kyle Van Noy Gone

I don't think Kyle Van Noy was ever planning to sign a free agent contract with the Pats. It looks like he will be hitting a financial jackpot with a four year deal from the Dolphins.

Things have worked out well for him since being traded from the Lions during the 2016 season. He won two Super Bowls with the Pats and was a media favorite.

He was able to parlay a great 2019 season into a big contract. Hopefully, he collects most of the money.

Slater Back To Pats

The Pats made a smart move when they resigned special teams star Matthew Slater on a two year deal that will pay him $2.6 million annually.

Since being taken in the 5th round of the 2008 draft, Slater has played primarily on special teams where he has excelled. He has eight Pro Bowl selections as well as six All-Pro. His five Super Bowl appearances and three championships just add more to his already great career.

2020 Voting

This is the last hour for players to vote electronically on the CBA. The 2,500 membership has the option to approve it or not.

This will have a huge impact on the NFL going forward.

Vote Yes For CBA

The members of the NFLPA should vote for the new CBA for so many reasons. The great former Viking Carl Eller gave a convincing argument on how it would help former players from his time.

The NFL needs to do a better job is taking care of those who built the league. One big change is the amount of time to get a pension from four accrued seasons to three. They need to do that and help the players who should be taken care of.

Waiting For The XFL

The NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB have all suspended their seasons in light of the coronavirus pandemic. As of right now, XFL games are still on for this weekend, but it could only be a matter of time before they meet a similar fate.

Attendance has been spotty for some teams, but St Louis has been showing good numbers.

If the games get canceled, what will happen to the league? Can they survive this type of hit?

Four More Picks

Coach Belichick is never afraid to let a free agent walk away from the Pats after making a reasonable contract offer. He knows that the team will get compensatory picks in return.

It's not any different for this draft after the team was awarded four picks, including two in the third round and two in the sixth.

These picks could be future stars, serviceable players or not pan out. Teams never know when it comes to the draft.

A Week From Now

We should have a much better idea of Tom Brady's future plans by this time next week. This topic has taken on a life of its own with too much time devoted to it.

Whatever he decides to do will not end the mindless chatter.

A Time To Vote

The NFLPA has extended the voting on the new CBA until the last minute of Saturday night. There is so much on the line right now.

A recent report said that 60% of the players are under the minimum contract situation. With the latest proposal, they will make over $1 million per year.

Careers are so short. It's all about making money right now. This deal might do it for them.

The New Ones 2020

Every year, we get inundated with fantasy draft selections. There are so many who think they know what teams will do. It never changes.

They never talk about the draft picks from one year ago and what type of impact they had as a rookie. The experts were all over them last year.

Letting Bill Decide

There is a report that team owner Robert Kraft will leave it up to Coach Belichick when it comes to negotiating with Tom Brady.

Kraft has been very public about his desire to have Brady finish his career in Foxborough, but the financial numbers might not work out.

Belichick has a bottom line on how much the team is willing to pay. It's good to see Kraft staying out of the picture.

Voting 2020

The latest CBA talk says it will be decided by March 16th before the start of free agency. Will that really happen?

It's hard to think that this CBA is for ten years. That's a long time in this era of technology.

Very few of the players who vote on it will be around ten years from now.

So Many Needs

Fans have spent so much time and energy on Tom Brady that they have forgotten the large amount of free agents the Pats need to make a decision on.

Joe Thuney, Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy and Devin McCourty lead the list, along with numerous needs at tight end and receiver.

Many decisions depend on the approval of the CBA and a higher salary cap.

Will Jimmy G Return?

The best thing about free agency will be the end of the Tom Brady drama. Too much time has been spent on this. No player is that important as one's career could end on one play.

Now we are being inundated with crazy stories of Brady signing with the 49er's and Jimmy Garoppolo being traded back to the Pats.

I can't see that ever happening, but it wouldn't be a bad move if the Pats could get him for a first round draft pick or other considerations.

If Brady leaves, we will be forced to listen to how he plays every week. If he stays, his performance will be under a microscope because of his age.

Bad Sunu Decision

When the Pats traded for WR Mohamed Sunu last season, fans thought they had a player to match up on the other end with Tom Brady.

It looked like a questionable move when Coach Belichick had him running back punts. What could go wrong?

Apparently, he suffered a high ankle sprain which will now require surgery after not getting better.

His production dropped significantly from the injury. Over the last seven games of the season, he caught 15 balls on 33 targets for 114 yards. Prior to that, he had 10 catches on 14 targets for 81 yards with the Pats.

It might be easier just to fair-catch it on every play.

The Downward Trend

It was very predictable to see what would happen with the television ratings for the XFL.

After four weeks, there has been a continual drop to half of the viewers from the first week of the season.

They are also getting criticized for the lack of offense, especially the passing game.

They will probably make it to the end of the season, but will any team make a profit?

The league will never make it if teams lose money.

It Hurts To Play QB

Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts should have skipped the 40 yard dash like Lamar Jackson did at the Scouting Combine. Teams were aware of Jackson's speed to the point where many wanted to convert him to a receiver.

Jackson made his choice and the rest is history. Hurts is hearing the same talk about a position switch to receiver. He wants no part of that conversation.