New England Patriots links 10/12/17 - Offense needs second half jump-start

TEAM TALK

• Press Conferences: Bill Belichick (20.32 min. video) and Tom Brady (8.25 min. video)
• Belichick Breakdown: Top plays from Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay. (10.52 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian insists the Patriots must get better in the second half, and put an end to a bad trend of coming out strong and then wilting down the stretch.
• Mike Reiss notes Tom Brady tops Bill Belichick's toughness rankings.
• Mike Reiss relays how a question about whether he's getting hit more because he found he can move around better at age 40 made Tom Brady channel his inner Popeye: "I am what I am.'
• Mike Reiss reports Nate Solder was not seen at Wednesday's practice and could turn up on the injury report.
• Mark Farinella sees Solder's issues shrouded in secrecy. "What's wrong with Nate Solder?" It's a question without an answer.
• Jake Scearbo (NEPatriotsLife) Putting the offensive line struggles into perspective.
• Jeff Howe finds LB David Harris ready if needed, or wanted, by the Patriots for this Sunday's game against his former team.
• Kevin Duffy and Kevin Dillon debate whether Devin McCourty is the most valuable defensive player for New England. (2.22 min. video)
• Kevin Duffy revisits his ranking of the Patriots most indispensable players, after five weeks.
• Nick O'Malley gives us a position-by-position breakdown of Pats vs. Jets heading into Sunday.
• Tom E Curran helps us get to 'Know Thine Enemy': The Jets.
• Mike D’Abate (Cover32) Patriots Week Ahead: Taking care of Brady.
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Tight end Rob Gronkowski looks good to go against Jets.
• Mike Reiss announces former QB Steve Grogan is among more than 25 Patriots alumni who will be at Gillette for the Game with the Greats fundraiser Sunday.
• Matt Chatham (Football by Football) Real Thing Patriots Podcast: Week 5 J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets preview. (1 hour 7 min.) /Always worth a listen.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady isn’t concerned about his shoulder.
• Mike Reiss and Rich Cimini (ESPN) No shortage of unforgettable tales from the Patriots-Jets rivalry.
• Sam Quinn (247 Sports) Bill Belichick praises Leonard Williams ahead of game vs. Jets.
• Sam Quinn (247 Sports) Bill Belichick's teams get significantly better with extra rest.
• NFL Playbook (NFL.com) Patriots at Jets Preview. (2.10 min. video)
• Empty the Notebook (SI) Albert Breer discusses the severity of Tom Brady's shoulder injury. (3.03 min.video)
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) QB Index, Week 6: Class of '04 woes; Cam Newton back. No. 1 Tom Brady.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) NFL MVP tracker: Packers' Aaron Rodgers once again in pursuit of Chiefs' Alex Smith.
• Dave Dameshek (NFL.com) Week 6 Spoiler Alert. Patriots 35-17.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) NFL Week 6 picks. Patriots 30-17.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) NFL Week 6 picks: Patriots 23-16.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) NFL, NFLPA release joint statement about national anthem discussion.
• Michael McCarthy (Sporting News) NFL TV audience numbers continue to decline early in 2017 season.

VIEW FROM NEW YORK

• Brian Costello (NY Post) Why Tom Brady’s latest missed practice means nothing.
• Randy Lange (NewYorkJets) Battle of the Ageless: McCown vs. Brady.
• Connor Hughes (NJ.com) 5 Jets-Patriots storylines to watch: What's wrong with Muhammad Wilkerson?
• Eric Allen (NewYorkJets) Jets-Patriots: 6 Storylines. 1. McCown-Kerley perfect connection.
• Connor Hughes (NJ.com) Austin Seferian-Jenkins sees obvious difference in this year's Jets.
• Brian Costello (NY Post) Jets don’t want to hear about Patriots’ problems.
• Steve Serby (NY Post) Ex-Patriot ready to use Tom Brady’s knowledge against him.
• Darryl Slater (NJ.com) Jets' Jamal Adams on Tom Brady: 'Opportunity of a lifetime' to beat 'the GOAT'.
• Darryl Slater (NJ.com) Jordan Jenkins says Jets' 'embarrassment' last year at Patriots is 'motivation' for rematch.
• Brian Costello (NY Post) Former longtime Jet deserves a better ending than this.