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New England Patriots links 10/03/17 - Hightower confident D can turn things around: ‘Absolutely’

By Marima

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Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons
Happier times
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

TEAM TALK

LOCAL LINKS

  • Zack Cox scouts the Buccaneers to see what to expect from Jameis Winston and co.: The explosive potential of this Buccaneers offense certainly is concerning.
  • Mike Reiss hears from Dont'a Hightower, who stressed accountability as the group looks to turn things around.
  • Doug Kyed reports Dont'a Hightower didn't hesitate when asked if he's confident his defense can pull it together this season. "Absolutely," Hightower said. So, how do they ensure that happens? "Play better.
  • Jeff Howe writes the Patriots' defensive breakdowns are like a bat signal to the rest of the league.
  • Mike Reiss says that despite Cam Newton’s big game against the Patriots, Bill Belichick couldn't find much fault with New England's pressure against Newton. /Hm...
  • Stephen Hewitt highlights Bill Belichick: "Collectively, coaching and playing... There’s no magic wand here, so we just have to work hard and get it right."
  • Sam Hollister (PatsPropaganda) A closer look at Patriots' secondary communication breakdowns.
  • Kevin Duffy points out one positive from Sunday was seeing the running game consistently productive.
  • Mike Reiss points out Rob Gronkowski sets the record for most passing yards from Tom Brady.
  • Zack Cox notes Bill Belichick doesn't blame Rob Gronkowski for pass interference vs. Panthers.
  • Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Defense back to drawing board; If you’re searching for positives, the Patriots have a history of cleaning up their act, and bouncing back from losses.
  • Michael Hurley thinks Stephon Gilmore is the root of the defensive breakdowns, and other leftover Patriots thoughts.
  • Mike D'Abate (Cover32) Patriots Week Ahead: Pats need to improve more than communication to fix defensive woes.
  • Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Pats Posits: No rest for the wicked (bad defense).
  • Michael Hurley is distraught with the sense there's something that's just not quite right about the 2017 Patriots -- and it's not just the defense.
  • Mike Reiss ranks the newcomers to the Patriots roster and finds Brandin Cooks rising to the top.
  • Ian Logue (PatsFans) So far, the Patriots have a broken connection with Dwayne Allen.
  • Matt Chatham (BlogTalkRadio) Real Thing Patriots Podcast: Panthers game dissection, Bucs TNF preview. (1 hour, 50 min.) /A wicked smaht podcast choice.

NATIONAL NEWS

  • Robert Mays (The Ringer) NFL Week 4 Recap: Some contenders flaws seem more fixable than others: Why can’t New England’s defense stop anyone?
  • Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady: Officials called it pretty tight, we have to overcome it.
  • Kevin Seifert (ESPN) Still confused by offensive pass interference? You're not alone. /Gronk used as an example.
  • Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady on pace to get sacked a career-high 52 times.
  • Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Bill Belichick on Stephon Gilmore: Everyone has room for improvement.
  • Jason B. Hirschhorn (Sports on Earth) How the Pats can fix their dire D. Bring in Dwight Freeney & Darrelle Revis, and put the rest on Tom Brady's shoulders. /Hmm.
  • Michael Salfino (Wall St. Journal) What's wrong with the New England Patriots? The Patriots defense is uncharacteristically both bending and breaking this year.
  • Kenneth Arthur (Sports on Earth) NFL's top 10 surprises so far. 1. Patriots are 2-2 and the defense is terrible.
  • Michael Tunison (Sports on Earth) After Further Review: Kneeded thrills on the field. The Patriots are shockingly vulnerable and the Rams look legit.
  • Christian D'Andrea (SB Nation) The Patriots’ defense is a real concern right now.
  • Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The winners and losers from NFL Week 4. Loser: Everybody who has ever tried to pick the NFL.
  • Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) 40 things we learned in Week 4: #11. Just one season after the New England Patriots allowed the fewest points in the NFL (15.6 per game), they're now surrendering a league-worst 32 per week.
  • Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Rising Bills, respectable Jets, rotten Giants top NFL's big early surprises. ‘Bills are a legitimate first-place team.’
  • Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) NFL Week 4 overreactions: The Buffalo Bills are the best team in the AFC East.
  • Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) The Debrief, Week 4: Handing out first-quarter awards.
  • Benjamin Hoffman (NY Times) NFL Week 4: Here's what we learned on Sunday.
  • Alex Marvez (Sporting News) NFL report cards: Cowboys, Patriots not yet failing, but close.
  • Adam Schein (NFL.com) NFL bandwagons you should hop on now.
  • David Purdum (ESPN) Patriots no longer consensus Super Bowl betting favorites.
  • Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Tom Petty's Super Bowl XLII halftime show was classic Petty.
  • Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) NFL's mess in Los Angeles has left Chargers hopeless and virtually homeless. /So much for a level playing field for all teams, eh Mr. Commissioner?

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