Newton, Done

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. 

 

Nobody Knows The QB

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.

Johnson & Flores

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 2021

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. 

Final Game For Some

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.

Michel Gone

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. 

Jets Down One Star

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?

They Think It's Jones

QB Mac Jones has been taking all the snaps in practice as Cam Newton had a Covid restriction placed on him by the league for traveling outside of New England.

This immediately started all sorts of theories that Jones will be the starter for the opening game. He hasn't been named by Coach Belichick, but the media has already made their selection.

Cam's absence doesn't really mean anything. Since he isn't there, someone needs to play the position in practice.

Three Is The Best

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.

The Average

I always wonder how the oddsmakers come up with their numbers. They seem to be on target in most cases.

People think they can come up with a method to win their bets. I looked at the average amount of points scored in a Patriots game last season by both teams.

Their games averaged 42.5 points.  What does this really mean? One game was a 45-0 win by the Pats.

If you took the over in that one, it was a winning bet.

Surplus of Talent

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.

The Unlikely Championship

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.