The Cam Newton era came to a sudden end today when the Pats released him from his contract. He is now a free agent.
Mac Jones is the starter with Brian Hoyer as the backup. Jarrett Stidham can return mid-season.
Will the team sign someone? We shall see.
Coach Belichick hasn't announced the starter for the opening game against Miami. For so long, fans have heard that Cam Newton is the starter.
He doesn't need to say anything for at least a few more days.
When WR Calvin Johnson and Coach Tom Flores were inducted into the Hall of Fame, they set the standard for the broad gap in age between the newest living members.
Flores waited forever and finally made it at the age of 84, while Johnson strolled in on the first ballot at 35.
Flores was becoming a victim of time and the amount of other worthy candidates. Johnson had a short, but very productive career.
To illustrate the longevity of Tom Brady, Johnson played between his 8th and 17th season as he prepares for #22.
College football begins today with a huge slate of games. What a difference between college and the NFL when it comes to point spreads and the over and under.
Many teams schedule games in obvious mismatches in order to pad their win total for postseason bowls. UMass is a great example. They take a regular beating in their games, especially against SEC opponents, but get badly needed revenue for the program.
The final preseason game is this weekend for all teams. They will need to trim their rosters to 53 players. Next week will be filled with all sorts of personnel transactions.
Some players will get another opportunity if they are signed to the practice squad or another team. Others will sit and wait for another chance. It can take all season in some instances.
There are those who will never play another snap after this weekend. They just don't know it.
It doesn't always work out for players drafted no matter what team selects them. Although RB Sony Michel was a first round selection in 2018, more was expected of him. The Pats didn't exercise their fifth year option on his contract.
Rumors surrounded him at training camp about being traded. The Pats finally did it yesterday when they sent him to the Rams for a 5th and 6th round picks in the 2022 draft. It helps resolve the logjam at that position.
He will always be a footnote on first round picks that didn't fulfill their hype.
It's a huge challenge for teams to make it through training camp and preseason games without losing players to season ending injuries.
The Jets found out the hard way during a joint practice with the Packers. Their top free agent signing DE Carl Lawson will be lost for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. He was expected to be the leader on the defensive line, along with Quinnen Williams.
They signed him to a 3 year/ $45 million contract back in March. Will the team stick with him for 2022 or cut their losses if he doesn't make it back to his former level?
I have been a fan of the NFL since 1966 when I was 13. It has changed so much over the years. I still remember when they went to a 14 game season after playing 12 for so long. The Pats were in the former American Football League.
They played six preseason games back then. Training camp was longer, but players had no mini-camps or team training facilities.
I think the new three game format works better. Teams will have more time to tweak their roster before their opening game.
At this stage of training camp, the Pats have a surplus of talent at running back and linebacker. Some good players will be released and sign with other teams.
NFL teams never make it though the season without someone from these groups getting injured. They will wish they still had them, but it happens every year.
UMass will open their football season on the road in two weeks against Pittsburgh. They are 38 point underdogs, with an over/under of 57.5.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have their season win total at 1.5 which should make UMass fans nervous.
If someone wants to take a big risk, they can put $100 down on UMass winning the National Championship. They might have a better chance at winning the lottery, but a national title would yield $100,000 in the payout.
The Pats beat the Eagles 35-0 in the second preseason game. Every team in the NFL has a group of players who are fighting to stay on the roster.
It was important to get exposure tonight because most of them won't make the team, but have a better chance somewhere else.
Every year, the NFL draft has a group of quarterbacks selected in the first round.
In 2018, Baker Mayfield was the first pick, followed by Same Darnold 2nd, Josh Allen 7th, Josh Rosen 10th and LaMar Jackson 32nd.
They have all played at a different level. Some have cashed in on a bigger contract.
Josh Rosen was drafted by the Cardinals and has already made stops with the Dolphins, Bucs and 49er's who released him the other day. No team claimed him off waivers.
LaMar Jackson has made the biggest impact as a player. Josh Rosen just signed a mega-contract.
Rosen is now a free agent. He needs to find a team that wants him.
Tim Tebow wanted to try and make it back to the NFL as a tight end with the Jaguars. It was his best chance to make a roster as he was being reunited with his former college coach, Urban Meyer.
It all came an end today when he was released by them. There is no doubt it's over for him in football after a great start to his career in Denver after being their first round pick in 2010.
Bills QB Josh Allen cashed in with his huge 6 year/$258 million contract that has $150 million guaranteed.
They are committed to the 7th overall pick in the 2018 draft for a huge amount of money. He lead them to a 13-3 season last year and gives the fans hope.
Players are voicing support for it. More money for quarterbacks raises the salary bar for everyone else. It's only a matter of time before this one is exceeded.
The pandemic prevented most teams from having any fans at home games, but that didn't stop the increase in value for NFL franchises by an average of 14%.
The Cowboys continue to lead with a worth of $6.5 billion, followed by the Pats ($5.0 billion) and the Giants ($4.85 billion). The Bills are at the bottom at $2.2 billion, but still a significant amount.
Signing Tom Brady not only helped bring a Super Bowl win to the Bucs, but it also increased their franchise value by 29%.
They should hope that he plays as long as he can.
Football teams only have so many numbers with the expansion of rosters. Every team has already retired a few worn by their former stars. A player like Tom Brady should definitely have his retired at some point.
Where do you draw the line? The Pats gave out Rob Gronkowski's #87 to rookie 7th round pick, Tre Nixon.
Many fans were upset and expressed outrage on social media, but teams must look at their future needs for issuing numbers.
When LB Tedi Bruschi retired, he said that his number should be worn by other players and keep the legacy of it alive. Many players wore it before him. Donte Hightower is doing a good job with it so far.
The Pats and Washington open their preseason tonight. So many questions need to be answered. The talk show people will spend countless hours analyzing the performances of Cam Newton and Mac Jones.
For some players, this will be their only chance to show their stuff. Players will get released from teams all around the league after this first set of games. Some will get signed by another team, but others will never play another down of football. They just don't know that yet.
It looks like Pats TE Dalton Keene might miss the season because of a knee injury. The team's third round pick in 2020 struggled to make a contribution on offense.
This didn't stop someone in the media from saying he was a wasted draft pick. Injuries can happen to anyone.
Very few teams ever make it through training camp without having a player suffer a season ending injury. It can happen during a game, practice or some freak accident.
When players are put on IR, a door opens for someone else. LB Raekwon McMillan suffered a torn ACL during practice last Thursday. He was one of the many free agent signings by the team during the off-season.
It opened the door for former LB Cassh Maluia. Their 2020 6th round picked had been released by the team in March, but is now back. It also gives Harvey Langi a better chance at making the roster.
I watched a replay of the Hall of Fame Induction speeches. They were excellent and from the heart.
Only the best of the best have even a chance of getting there. Some should, but they get buried in their position or they time out in popularity with the electors.
Calvin Johnson made it at 35 on the first ballot. Coach Tom Flores finally got in at 84. It took forever, but at least he can enjoy it now.
When Nick Saben was fired by the Dolphins after the 2006 season, it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
He was hired by Alabama where he has won seven National College Football Championships. They just amended his contract for the sixth time since 2007.
So far, he has made almost $100 million with them. His latest deal will keep him under contract through 2028. It will be another $84.8 million in his bank account.
The money keeps flowing. He has a great recruiting system in place to ensure that his team will be competitive for years to come.
The Pats are two point underdogs against Washington next Thursday in their first preseason game. That has given the media plenty to talk about.
They never give up on asking the coach about it. He will just be moving on to Washington.
The NFL starts tonight with the Hall of Fame game between the Cowboys and Steelers. The regular preseason begins next Thursday.
This will be the last Sunday without football until after the Super Bowl in February.
We are getting closer to the start of the regular season.
It's going to be very interesting to hear Calvin Johnson's Hall of Fame Induction speech. He spent his entire ten year career with the Lions and has a fractured relationship with them.
The team was horrible during his career. As one of the greatest receivers ever, he basically wasted his career with them.
There are only 90 spots in training camp. When a player gets hurt, someone else benefits by getting more snaps. Being placed on Injured Reserve allows unsigned players to get a chance.
There are players who will get cut during camp and get signed late in the season. It happens every year.
Cardinals DE Chandler Jones missed most of last season with a biceps injury. He appeared in five games and recorded one sack. This was a huge departure from the All-Pro's 2019 season when he had 19 sacks, while forcing 8 fumbles and recovering three.
All of this has not stopped him from complaining about his five year/$82.1 million contract with one year left.
Jones wants a new one or a trade. He said he will report to training camp, but indicated he is not happy in spite of having $31 million in guaranteed money.
