New England Patriots links 3/02/17 - Curran: The Patriot Way is hard choice for some players

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart hears Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn is 'past' but 'not over' the Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots.
• Paul Perillo finds Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was the latest to praise Jimmy Garoppolo at the Combine.
• Andy Hart mentions how Brown's VP Sashi Brown lauds Jamie Collins, not Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Paul Perillo reports veteran DE Chris Long took to Instagram to say goodbye to Patriots Nation.
• Lauren Williams shares some of the players' best photos from February.

LOCAL LINKS

• Tom E. Curran discusses how the Patriots demand a lot of their players, mentally and physically. So when free agency beckons, some of them choose a different lifestyle.
• Mike Reiss suggests that the 2017 Patriots might look significantly different from the team that just won the Super Bowl.
• Jeff Howe points out the Falcons as the latest example of how over the past couple of years, the Pats haven't just ended their opponents' seasons, they've left them reeling.
• Mike Reiss notes that deciding not to trade Jimmy Garoppolo should give the Patriots strong insurance in case Tom Brady's production falls off as he enters his 40s.
• Karen Guregian takes a look at the number of variables in deciding what to do with Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Tom E. Curran has a hard time believing Jimmy Garoppolo is untouchable.
• Ben Volin also finds it hard to believe Jimmy Garoppolo is truly untouchable.
• Steve Buckley considers the possibility that this Jimmy G. business is just a clever shell game by the Pats, unless... what if they truly believe he is going to be the next great QB?
• Nick O'Malley notes the Patriots have nearly $60M in cap space, which is 6th-most in the NFL and double that of the Jets.
• Doug Kyed thumbnails six positions the Patriots should closely examine at the combine.
• Jeff Howe Combine Notebook: Salary cap set and Patriots have another $60.6 million to spend; Bills WR Robert Woods quietly professed his envy for Chris Hogan; More.
• Chad Finn's Daily Sports Q: Should the Patriots sign Jamaal Charles to help their running game?
• Mike Reiss details Bill Belichick's eventful night, taking in Celtics-Cavaliers at TD Garden, where courtside seats got him an eyeful of both the Globetrotters and LeBron James. /Great game.
  
• CBS Boston posts a clip of LeBron James getting up close and personal with Bill Belichick. Thankfully James 'slowed up': "I'm not taking no legend out."
• Darren Hartwell reports how Bill Belichick's cameo at the Celtics-Cavs game obviously gets a huge ovation.
• Nicholas Goss offers his 11th 2017 Mock Draft. Pats pick Alabama TE O.J. Howard.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Patriots can name their price for Jimmy Garoppolo, and they know it.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Here's exactly why the Patriots are lying about not trading Jimmy Garoppolo.
• Jarrett Bell (USA Today) Jimmy Garoppolo trade talk is hardly over for Patriots.
• Jenny Vrentas (The MMQB) Jimmy Garoppolo and the QB domino effect.
• Joe Swinford (FootballNation) 5 Reasons 2017 will be Tom Brady's last season.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) Combine Debrief, Day 1: Translating QB chatter.
• Dane Brugler (CBS Sports) 2017 NFL Combine: Linemen grow, RBs weigh in and more Wednesday takeaways.
• Chris Burke (SI) Live from the NFL Combine: Latest updates on trade rumors, prospects and free agency.
• Eric Galko (Sporting News) NFL Combine drills: How each works, why each matters.
• Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today) 10 sleepers to watch at the NFL scouting combine.
• Brett Pollakoff (Fox Sports) The NFL Combine’s fastest 40 times and how the players who ran them turned out.
• Chris Burke and Jonathan Jones (SI) NFL free agency primers: Sizing up the 2017 market at every position.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) Here are five under-the-radar players set to cash in big in NFL free agency.
• Joe Redemann (NumberFire) Every NFL team's 2017 Draft needs based on analytics: New England Patriots. /Slogged through the slideshow for you. You're welcome.
• Mark Maske (Washington Post) Players’ union tells NFL competition committee to ban ‘leaping’ on field goals. /Attn. Patriots.
  
• Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Mock Draft 2.0. Pats pick Alabama OLB Tim Williams.