Low XFL Pay

Nobody really knows if the XFL will succeed, but they won't be going broke paying their players.

The average salary will be $55,000 for the season, with a guaranteed minimum of $1,040 per week. They can max out at $4,947 per week with roster and win bonuses.

With salaries like that, fans can expect to see glorified college football or something on the level of the CFL where the pay is even less.

UMass 1-6

UMass lost 61-29 to Louisiana Tech. They drop to 1-6 with nothing to look forward to on the schedule.

It didn't help that they gave up 304 yards of passing and 365 on the ground. You can never win doing that.

Johnson Out

Pats FB Jakob Johnson was a nice story this season. He is the only player on a NFL roster from the special program for European players. He was doing a great job filling in for James Develin.

Johnson injured his shoulder last night in the team's win over the Giants and has been placed on Injured Reserve. The extent of the injury is unknown, but I'm sure Coach Belichick did not want to tie up a roster spot waiting for his return.

Does this leave an opening for Ben Watson to return after being released earlier this week? Belichick said that Watson was released due to a lack of a roster spot available. They can also sign him for a less money as his contract was voided upon his release.

The Biggest In 40 Years

When the Pats play the Giants tonight they will be 16 1/2 point favorites. This is the biggest spread in the last 40 years for a Giants team facing any opponent. The over/under is 42 1/2.

It will be a tough game for Big Blue with RB Shaquon Barley and WR Sterling Shepard out with injuries.

The defense of the Pats continues to be one of the best in the league. The bigger question is whether Tom Brady and the offense can really get going tonight.

Too Soon Between Games

The Pats and Giants will play on Thursday Night Football. It should get great ratings, especially in the Boston market.

Fans around the league love it, especially when their team is playing. However, it comes with a risk to the players.

Matthew Slater made a great a point when he said the time is too short between games when it comes to player safety.

Gronk's New Career

Some fans keep kidding themselves into thinking that Rob Gronkowski will return to the Pats this season. Other than joking around, he has not given any indication that he will be back.

Fox Sports announced today that he will added to their NFL Sunday program as a studio analyst. It remains to be seen if his personality will transition to success in that role.

It's a great opportunity for Gronk, but he will need to be serious most of the time.

UMass Now 1-5

The season for UMass continues to spiral downward after their latest loss of 44-0 against Florida International University. It dropped their record to 1-5 with more losses expected.

They were bad on both sides of the ball with only 38 yards of rushing and 77 passing. Their defense continues to one of the worst, giving up 278 yards on the ground and 263 passing.

There is no relief in sight as UMass plays a very tough schedule as an Independent.

Redskins 2019

Everyone is expecting the Pats to easily beat the Redskins today. The franchise has seen bad days during the ownership of Daniel Snyder.

Tickets were once impossible to get, but now the stadium has removed or covered many seats rather than show the emptiness.

The Redskins are a great example of how ownership can impact the franchise.

Nugent For Now

Mike Nugent is the new kicker for the Pats after Stephen Gotskowski was placed on Injured Reserve with a hip injury.

The former 2nd round pick of the Jets in 2005 is very well traveled around the league, with additional time with the Cardinals, Buccaneers, Bengals, Bears, Cowboys and Raiders.

His brief tenure with some teams has resulted him in only appearing in 164 games over 15 seasons.

He needs to perform well right from the start, otherwise his time with the Pats will be short.

Not The Last Kick

Some Pats fans must be happy that kicker Stephen Gotskowski has been placed on season ending Injury Reserve with a hip injury. He will undergo surgery very soon.

We will never know what procedure was performed or how long he dealt with it, although it was a factor last season and beyond. His hip must have finally given out.

They say he will come back and ready like nothing happened.

Some fans have been so critical of him because of his missed kicks. They didn't even think he might be injured.

Hopefully he has many more years with the team.

Jordan Richards 2.0

Fans can act so childish at times. It doesn't matter their age. They say so many stupid things, especially with the availability of social media.

After the Pats resigned free agent Jordan Richards, fans began to complain about the former safety who was here from 2015-2017. He was a punching bag for some back then because of a few plays.

I'm sure Coach Belichick wants him on the team.

Watson Back

It remains to be seen if TE Ben Watson plays on Sunday after serving a four game suspension for PED's.

The Pats knew this would happen when they signed him. It was a move they felt comfortable with after the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.

How much will he help the offense? Tom Brady had a terrible game against the Bills. The team is 29th in rushing yards per game.

It's early in the season, but they need to get it going.