New England Patriots links 1/30/18 - McCourty, Chung, Harmon: Reliable ‘Big Three’ in defensive backfield

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart talks about how the Super Bowl XLII loss to the Giants led to Brian Flores’ coaching success. /Nice background on Flores.
• Paul Perillo speculates on the not-so-clear succession plan on offense, with potential candidates to replace Josh McDaniels: Chad O’Shea and Jerry Schuplinski.
• John Rooke’s View from Above: Don’t look now but next year is this year.
• Lauren Williams describes how the Patriots headed off to Minneapolis in mic-drop fashion.
• Angelique Fiske takes a look back at some of the most quotable moments of the 2017 season.
• Not Done Network: Tuesday schedule.
• Patriots’ wackiest answers from Super Bowl LII Opening Night. (1.13 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Jeff Howe reports on how this is the reward for players, for the grinding through the rigors of Bill Belichick’s system.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) The Patriots have been sent off!
• Michael Hurley tells us everything we learned from Tom Brady’s 8th Super Bowl opening night: Brady’s hand isn’t ready for a thumb war.
• Karen Guregian spotlights the ‘Big Three’ - Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon - who have been Belichick’s go-to guys for leadership, stability and dependability in the defensive backfield.
• Phil Perry explains why Malcom Brown is a crucial part of the Patriots’ plan to stop the Eagles’ running game.
• Mike Reiss writes a nice piece on Kyle Van Noy who has become a critical part of the defense, and he hopes that his play can inspire those who were adopted, like he was.
• Sam Puran (FullPressCoverage) Danny Amendola: Patriots’ Super Bowl LII ‘unleashed secret’.
• Moira McCarthy talks with residents of Scituate who consider Danny Amendola one of their own.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) How can Pats stop Eagles’ run-pass option?
• Hal Bent (FullPressCoverage) Super Bowl LII key matchups: Eagles’ WR/TE vs Patriots’ secondary.
• Russell S. Baxter (MusketFire) 5 Reasons Patriots will win Super Bowl 52.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) How do Eagles stack up to Patriots’ past Super Bowl challenges?
• Thomas Murphy (SportsXMedia) Brady walks tall and carries a big stick.
• Ron Borges hears advice from Ray Lewis on how Tom Brady can be beaten.
• Phil Perry notes Bill Belichick recognizes that the team gets a shot of energy from players going through the Super Bowl hype experience for the first time.
• Mike Giardi notes Steve Spagnuolo claims the Patriots were stealing signals in Super Bowl XXXIX, in an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. /Or, maybe, Brady studied how the defense was giving it away.
• Michael Hurley wraps some context around Steve Spagnuolo’s comments about the Patriots’ stealing signals.
• Jerry Thornton (Barstool Sports) Happy Tom Brady Cliff Day, Max Kellerman!
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Rob Gronkowski on pace for Super Bowl start.
• CBS Boston relays a report that Malcolm Butler was treated for flu-like symptoms; expected to be okay for Super Bowl.
• Tom E. Curran notes that when Josh McDaniels leaves, Tom Brady will have a huge adjustment to make.
• Mike Giardi talks about Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz who has come a long way from fetching Bill Belichick’s coffee to revitalizing the Eagles Defense.
• Mike Goodpaster (TheGruelingTruth) TGT Super Bowl Monday night: Former Patriot Marc Edwards looks lack at the 2001 Patriots season. (44.41 min. podcast)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Michael Rosenberg (SI) Another Super Bowl Opening Night featuring Tom Brady and the Patriots—What else is new?
• Sean Wagner-McGough (CBS Sports) Opening Night takeaways as Eagles, Patriots speak to media.
• Ben Muth (Football Outsiders) Word of Muth: Patriots dominate.
• Andy Benoit (SI) How Belichick’s defense evolved.
• Kent Babb (Washington Post) The Patriots’ dynasty was built from the ashes of Bill Belichick’s failure with the Browns.
• Zack Kram (The Ringer) The Patriots-and-penalties conspiracy theorists might have a point: Raising these five points at your Super Bowl party might help you win an argument if New England benefits from a suspicious call.
• Robert Mays (The Ringer) The Eagles’ wrecking crew up front could shape the Super Bowl.
• Pete Blackburn (CBS Sports) Five reasons to cheer for the Patriots to reign supreme on Sunday.
• Jeremy Bergman (NFL.com) Bill Belichick wore his father’s hat off team plane. /Touching, respect.
• Highlights (NFL.com) Sights, sounds from Super Bowl LII Opening Night. (6.06 min. video)
• Jeremy Bergman (NFL.com) Tom Brady on football future: ‘Things change quickly’.
• Chris Wesseling (NFL.com) Tom Brady: Any team would want Josh McDaniels.
• Rich Cimini (ESPN) The majesty of the Gronk Spike: How it began and why it’s so awesome.
• Kevin Van Valkenburg (ESPN) After a resurgent season, Gronk stares down football’s one certainty. /the end of Gronk, what an uplifting angle for Super Bowl week.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) David Andrews on playoff comebacks: No one freaks out. /Except for the fans, you mean.
• Greg Bishop (SI) The Patriot Way: James Develin’s outcast-to-Super Bowl story.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Ranking Super Bowl 2018 starters: Brady, Gronk 1-2 but Eagles dominate top 10.
• Andrew Bucholtz (Awful Announcing) Patriots launch “Not Done Network” with Jay Crawford and ESPN’s Molly McGrath, providing 24/7 coverage ahead of Super Bowl LII.
• George Thwaites (Bluefield Daily Telegraph) Hungry for football? The Pro Bowl won’t help.
• Dan Gartland (SI) The best of the Patriots’ Super Bowl media day session.
• Conor Orr (SI) Morning Huddle: Bill Belichick smiled how many times on Super Bowl LII Opening Night?
• Don Banks (Patriots.com) Super Bowl Week Snap Judgments: A Super Bowl matchup with one franchise that owns multiple Super Bowl rings vs. a franchise that owns none, is getting quite common.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) The Debrief: One thing each AFC team can do to earn spot in Super Bowl LIII.
• Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Josh McDaniels admits past failures have taught him.
• Mike Wells (ESPN) Adam Vinatieri: Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells are ‘actually funny guys’.
• Tim Rohan (SI) Glass, angles and a Gjallarhorn: U.S. Bank Stadium ushering in a new wave of stadium design.
• Dan Graziano (ESPN) NFL Honors poll: Our picks for MVP, every major award.
• Paul Ratner (BigThink) Why the supersized Super Bowl linemen may be risking their health.
• Ken Fang (Awful Announcing) Thanks to Super Bowl and the Olympics, NBC expected to collect $1.4 billion in revenue.