New England Patriots links 1/18/17 - Patriots-Steelers: AFC Championship-week chippiness

TEAM TALK

• Game Preview: Steelers at Patriots.
• Erik Scalavino shares the news, notes and locker-room buzz from Tuesday at Gillette: Hogan: Thigh injury 'feeling better every day.'
• Paul Perillo tackles this week's Ask PFW Mailbag: On to another AFC title game.
• Press Release: Nate Solder named Patriots 2016 Ed Block Courage Award Recipient.
• Press Release: Patriots training staff earns Staff of the Year honors from Ed Block Courage Award.
• Press Release: Patriots Place will get fans ready for One More AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.
• John Rooke Nitpicks and Nitwits: Spoil and be spoiled...the biggest nit to pick Spoil and be spoiled...the biggest nit to pick of all...and thanks for Pittsburgh's little "gift"...
• Infographic: Breaking down the win over the Texans.
• Patriots Locker Room Quotes.
• Patriots Press Pass: Slater, Hogan, Solder and Flowers address the media in the locker room on Tuesday. (1.43 min. video)
• Ultimate Highlight: Dion Lewis Playoff Debut. (2.08 min. video)
• Good Morning Football (NFL.com) What role will the Patriots running game play against the Steelers? (3.30 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Michael Hurley offers up an appreciation of the Patriots' remarkable consistency in reaching the conference championship for a 6th-straight time.
• Christopher Price tells us how a quick start for the Patriots will spell doom for Pittsburgh.
• Evan Lazar thinks the Steelers' road woes could give an extra edge to the Pats.
• Danny Cox profiles the Pittsburgh Steelers: Pats must be on top of their game.
• Kevin Tame Jr. (PatriotsWire) Has Bill Belichick figured out Le'Veon Bell?
• Jeff Howe takes a look at key head-to-head matchups for Sunday: Nate Solder vs. James Harrison.
• Matt Dolloff explores whether the Steelers will be able to slow down Tom Brady like the Texans did.
• Karen Guregian challenges Matt Patricia's defense to quiet all the doubters by corralling Ben Roethlisberger.
• DJ Bean looks at the weird behavior of the Patriots opponents in the playoffs.
• Mark Farinella says there's no love lost between the Pats and Steelers in their playoff rivalry.
• Doug Kyed focuses on how Chris Hogan gained Tom Brady's trust in his first season in Foxborough.
• Mike Reiss lets us know that Chris Hogan defines his thigh injury as 'minor'.
• Chris Mason Patriots Notebook: A season removed from playing in Buffalo, wide receiver Chris Hogan enjoys view from a playoff town.
• Zack Cox notes Jimmy Garoppolo refutes the suggestion that Tom Brady is faster than him.
• Mike Reiss explains why Alan Branch is the player everyone should be talking about.
• Jen McCaffrey talks with Trey Flowers and Chris Hogan who are both well aware of the team's strict social media policy.
• Jen McCaffrey finds that none of the players she talked to in the locker room seemed to care about Roger Goodell skipping their game Sunday.
• Michael Hurley writes that by intentionally avoiding Foxboro, Roger Goodell has opened the door for so many questions about how fit he really is to be commissioner of the NFL.
• Ryan Hannable calls it an embarrassment that Goodell is not attending the AFC Championship game in New England.
• Ben Volin points out that Roger Goodell has not attended a Patriots game in the two years since the Deflategate episode broke on Jan. 18, 2015, at the Patriots-Colts AFC Championship Game.
• Mark Daniels gives his take on the commissioner of the NFL not setting foot inside Gillette Stadium for the second season in a row.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Layden (SI Magazine) Brotherhood of Brady: The lifelong connection between the QB and his receivers. /Full of quotes & anecdotes I've never heard before. Great read.
• Jenny Vrentas (TheMMQB) The tale of Tom Brady and Johnny Foxborough. /Another excellent read.
• Kevin Clark (The Ringer) All the small things: From Tom Brady’s secret speed to Bill Belichick’s hatred of "SnapFace," these little-known factors have combined to spark the Patriots’ massive run of success.
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) Back to Blitzburgh: The Steelers don’t have a star like Von Miller or Khalil Mack, but a midseason tweak has turned their pass rush into one of the NFL’s best.
• Staff (ESPN Stats & Information) Can 'Killer B's' buck trend of Brady dominance over Steelers?
• Jeffri Chadiha (NFL.com) Steelers' Le'Veon Bell wants to avenge loss to Patriots.
• Report (AP) Patriots face a different Steelers team with Roethlisberger healthy.
• Video (ESPN) Steelers coming for the Pats in the AFC Championship. (1 min. video)
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Mike Tomlin returns to stadium where he "always" has communications issues.
• Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) Mike Tomlin expects better headset signal in Gillette Stadium.
• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Roger Goodell needs to head to New England and face the music.
• Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Roger Goodell is going out of his way to not see Patriots in AFC title game.
• Chris Chase (Fox Sports) Why would Roger Goodell ever go to New England for the AFC championship? /Shots taken at Pats fans, WEEI, Brady, his receivers, your mother...
• Shalise Manza Young (Yahoo! Sports) Patriots' Dont'a Hightower doesn't care what Mike Tomlin thinks of his team.
• Dan Hanzus (NFL.com) Bill Belichick's war against mighty Snapface wages on.
• Charles Curtis and Steven Ruiz (USA Today) The (fake) logos for Bill Belichick's (fake) social media networks.
• Tom Pelissero (USA Today) Storylines to watch during NFL's championship week.
• Matt Harmon (NFL.com) Next Gen Stats: A case for the three MVP quarterbacks.
• Elliot Harrison (NFL.com) NFL Power Rankings. Patriots No. 1.
• Victor Mather (NY Times) In NFL betting, Patriots are closest to being a sure thing.
• Will Brinson (CBS 'sports) Tom Brady gushes over Aaron Rodgers: 'I can't do many of those things'.
• Manish Mehta (NY Daily News) If he played for Bill Belichick, Aaron Rodgers would have more Super Bowls than Tom Brady does with Patriots. /Might need some ointment for that obsession.
• Jason Gay (Wall St. Journal) Who’s afraid of Aaron Rodgers? (Everyone): The scariest sight in the NFL playoffs isn’t a team, but a Green Bay quarterback without a weakness.
• Debate (NFL.com) Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan among hottest players left in NFL playoffs.
• Dave Dameshek (NFL.com) The Shame Report: Divisional round. (4.01 min. video)

VIEW FROM PITTSBURGH

• Teresa Varley (Steelers.com) AFC Championship Game Fun Facts.
• Ed Bouchette (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Steelers need vintage Roethlisberger road performance against Patriots.
• Kevin Gorman (TribLive) Tomlin takes aim at 'Patriots'.
• Ron Cook (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Rookie defensive back 'not afraid of NFL playoff ball'.
• Paul Zeise (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Steelers long snapper Greg Warren has been here before.
• Jerry Dipaola (TribLive) Steelers Notebook: Harrison will be monitored for shoulder, triceps injuries.
• Joe Starkey (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Mailbag: Did the Patriots cheat the Steelers out of Super Bowls? /Remind me, which team is supposed to be the 'A-holes' again?
• Press Conference (Steelers.com): Mike Tomlin referred to the issue as "the elephant in the room."
• Gerry Dulac (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Mike Tomlin: Antonio Brown was 'selfish' and 'inconsiderate,' will be punished.
• Joe Rutter (TribLIve) Only one winner in Facebook Live snafu — and it’s not Antonio Brown.
• Sean Gentille (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Ben Roethlisberger: 'A little disappointed' in Antonio Brown for Facebook video.
• Teresa Varley (Steelers.com) Tomlin's Takes: Bullets, red zone, on the rise.
• Teresa Varley (Steelers.com) A week to remember: Special memories in Steelers' history.

DUMPSTER DIVE

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Happy #DeflateGate Day.
• Sheilla Dingus (Advocacy For Fairness in Sports) Painkiller lawsuits: Un-tangling the NFL's web of secrecy, Part I.