The Conflicted Coach

Duke University head coach David Cutliffe must be very happy to see his former quarterback Daniel Jones enjoying success as the starter with the Giants.

Jones has a record of 2-0 after taking over for Eli Manning who got the team off to an 0-2 start.

Cutliffe must have mixed emotions as he coached Eli at Ole Miss while he was in charge there. He also spent time on the staff at Tennessee when Peyton was there.

So many players and coaches cross paths around the league.

Brady Will Be Talked About

The Pats were able to beat the Bills 16-10 today, but it was an ugly win for the offense.

The defense and special teams came up with great plays, but QB Tom Brady was 10/39 for 150 yards and one interception in the end zone which killed a big scoring drive.

There is no doubt that sports talk shows will be fixated on Brady and the offense. They didn't play well. Hopefully, they can do better next Sunday with the 0-4 Redskins.

Tough Betting Game

The Pats are favored over the Bills by 7 points with and over and under of 42 1/2.

That says so much about this game. Two teams with great defenses.

It should be a great one.

A New Stance For Brown

Four days ago, Antonio Brown said he would never play again in the NFL. Many fans doubted he would stay with that line.

Apparently, he has changed his mind and is considering a return to football.

He must first find a team that is willing to pay him what he wants. They must also deal with the baggage he brings to any team. He could also face disciplinary action from the league.

His story is far from being over.

Three QB's Now

It's a shame that the Pats released QB Brian Hoyer at the end of training camp, but he was able to grab a great deal with the Colts as a backup to Jacoby Brissett.

The team signed free agent QB Cody Kessler to the 53 man roster. The move makes a lot of sense. Tom Brady might miss practices this season as he recovers from games. They need another option besides rookie Jarrett Stidham.

Kessler gives them a player with 17 starts since being drafted by the Browns as a 3rd round pick in 2016.

Nobody can really predict how long he will be with the team.

Nothing To Show

Hall of Fame QB Troy Aiknman did a great job in telling people to pump the brakes on younger ones like Patrick Mahomes. These players put up great numbers, but have no championships to show for it. They have a future ahead of them.

Statistics play a huge role in the history of the game, but the fantasy league syndrome has taken over.

Let's see where he is five years from now. No doubt he will put up big numbers if he stays healthy.

A Chance For Jakob

The Pats offense took a big hit with the loss of FB James Develin for at least eight weeks with a neck injury. His role has been huge and played over 40% of the offensive snaps so far.

Very few teams in the NFL employ a fullback, but Coach Belichick is a big fan of them.

Jakob Johnson, a native of Germany, will now step up. He is a player from the NFL's international outreach program to players in Europe.

Johnson played tight end at Tennessee, but he would never have a chance without this program.

Brown Turns On Kraft

Antonio Brown wants to be the center of attention. He fired up a storm on Twitter today taking shots at everyone, including team owner Robert Kraft.

He was due $9 million tomorrow as part of his signing bonus. Once the team cut him for personal conduct, the money came off the table.

Brown wants his money. Kraft will fight him to the end on this.

UMass 0-4

UMass is now 0-4 after losing 62-28 to Coastal Carolina today. They were totally outmatched from the start.

The defense of UMass has been unable to stop anyone this season.

It's only going to get worse as UMass plays tough opponents as an Independent.

Brown Done With Pats

It was inevitable that things would get to the point when the Pats released WR Antonio Brown today. It ended 11 days of turmoil.

The team released a very brief statement about moving on. Where does Brown go from here? This story is so crazy and is not going away.

Jones Time

The Giants are 0-2 and going nowhere. The job of Coach Pat Shurmur is on the line with another losing season.

He felt it was time to make the switch to Daniel Jones at quarterback who is really the future of the team. Eli will be 39 shortly. Time is the enemy for him.

Nobody knows how it will go with Jones. He could get hurt and Eli would be back in.

Eli is a free agent at the end of the season. I hope he keeps playing.

Fenway Follies

One more college bowl game won't matter. Fenway Park will be the site of the first Fenway Bowl in 2010.

It will match a team from the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and AAC (American Athletic Conference).

It just adds to the glut of games already scheduled. It will end up being a contest between two teams with six or seven wins. They won't be getting the ranked ones.

The participating teams will be happy as long as they make money. It remains to be seen what type of crowd they draw.

Clock Ticking On Manning

The Giants are now 0-2 with things looking bad right now. It's only a matter of time before they pull the plug on Eli Manning and go with Daniel Jones.

Manning is not to blame, but it comes with the position. With the latest losses, Manning is 116-116 lifetime and 41-64 since 2012.

The numbers don't lie. Fans are getting restless. Manning isn't getting any younger.

Adam On The Line

Last night, we were hearing rumors that Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri might retire today because of the poor start to his season.

He has missed five of eight kicks so far, which included three extra point attempts and field goals from 44 and 29 yards.

As of tonight, he plans to keep playing. How will this end up? Many kickers get cut because of numbers like this.

The Colts plan to keep him for now.

The League Needs Their Best

Week 2 of the NFL had some great plays, but it was sad to see QB's Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees go down with injuries. It's hard to determine how much time they might miss, but it could be several weeks.

The NFL needs to keep its best players on the field. There is no guarantee on that. Things happen real fast.

Pats fans need to pump the brakes and be thankful about not having major injuries. It could happen on any play.

Fans Want To see Him

A week ago, the last thing fans were thinking was Antonio Brown being on the team. Since his signing, he has dominated the news feed. It's all about him.

We don't know if he is even playing on Sunday. He has been cleared by the league to play, but it's all up to Coach Belichick. He also has a game day roster bonus of over 500k that he really wants to earn.

Fans want to see him. It will help drive the television ratings. The NFL needs that.

Gronk's Inury List

After listening to Rob Gronkowski, it's easy to see why he retired so soon from the NFL. He admitted to nine surgeries during his career, as well as over twenty concussions. He blacked-out during at least five of them.

His body was just done with football. He cited the mentally draining aspect of trying to come back from all of his medical situations.

Selfish fans want him to keep playing, but they should be happy for him. He knew when it was time to walk away.

Speculation Was Inevitable

Boston sports talk radio can be a challenge to listen to at times. Statements are made that are not backed up by any facts.

Talk show hosts are now speculating whether Coach Belichick and the Krafts knew anything about the legal issues of Antonio Brown before they signed him.

They are engaging in the "what did they know and when did they know it" school of journalism. They are trying to entertain at the expense of guessing about the facts.

AB Might Be Short

I'm not sure if all Pats fans are on board with Antonio Brown in light of his recent personal legal issues.

We can't deny it looks bad now. How does it all end?

Thomas Gone

The signing of WR Antonio Brown meant that someone needed to go. It was just of who and when.

Demaryius Thomas became the one when he was traded to the Jets for a 6th round draft pick.

It doesn't seem like that much, but they would have released him at some point. It was better than nothing.

Don't Watch Beckham

Odell Beckham Jr made his Browns debut against the Titans. He had a line of 7 receptions/71 yards in the team's 43-13 loss.

He made a bigger impact with the watch he wore during the game. With a value of $350,000, it caught the attention of the media as well as the league.

Bekham was in violation of the rules against "wearing hard objects". He will most likely be spoken to, but the league doesn't want to start a trend with players trying to outdo each other.

Not Everyone Happy About Brown

Fans seem to be quite happy about the Pats signing Antonio Brown. Other than the money, it looks like a pretty safe situation for the team.

Not everyone on the team is happy as a player will need to be released. Who will it be? Will it be a receiver? Will that player get another chance in the league?

Antonio Brown

It's hard to believe that Antonio Brown is now with the Pats. It happened so fast after his time with the Raiders ended so abruptly.

He can't play Sunday night because he was signed after the league mandated deadline of 4:00 pm.

Paying him $15 million is a significant investment. It's going to be quite a story to watch.

Act Wearing Thin

Antonio Brown continues to create drama with the Raiders. The team might suspend him in light of his outburst against GM Mike Mayock.

They must be wondering why they traded for him. They only gave up a third and fifth round pick, but foolishly renegotiated a new contract for 3 years/$50.5 million.

Nothing has worked so far. The Raiders face the Broncos Monday night. Will Brown play?

The Easy Choice

I thought the NFL made the right choice in having the Bears and Packers open the 2019 season. They are two of the original franchises.Their history goes back to day one of the league.

The Pats will get their moment on Sunday Night Football when they raise their sixth championship banner and play the Steelers in prime time.

More Dollars For Jacoby

Colts QB Jacoby Brissett had the great fortune of being drafted by the Pats and later traded to the Colts. He will be the starter after the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck.

Brisett came into the league without an agent. He just negotiated a 2 year/ $30 million extension on his own. He said he doesn't need anyone speaking on his behalf.

It looks like smart move as he will pocket the fee his agent would have charged him.

Losing Money This Year

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were the first two picks in the 2015 draft, but they start their fifth season playing under their rookie contracts. The Bucs and Titans have taken a slow approach to signing extensions with them.

Both quarterbacks have had their bright moments, but not enough for the teams to commit for a long term.

This is just another example of the hype behind some payers and the draft. Things don't always work out for whatever reason.

Hoyer Cashes In

Former Pats QB Brian Hoyer should thank Coach Belichick for releasing him in the final cut down. He was signed by the Colts to a 3 year/$12 million contract with $9 million guaranteed.

It's a big raise from the $915,000 he earned with the Pats in 2018. He will serve as a very capable backup to Jacoby Brissett who became the starter after the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck.

Pats fans were hoping that Hoyer would be resigned as the team's third quarterback, but the Colts made an offer that Hoyer could not turn down.

Duke To Denver

I think the Pats did a favor for CB Duke Dawson when they traded him to Denver, along with a 7th round pick for a 6th in return.

At least he is going to a team that was willing to trade for him. Will he make it through the entire season with the Broncos?

He is like so many other players who got released. There are only so many jobs out there.