New England Patriots links 2/21/18 - Marquis Flowers return depends on what size bouquet market offers

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2018 Mock Draft Tracker: What the top ‘experts’ are predicting the Patriots will do in the first round come draft weekend.
• Andy Hart tackles this week’s Ask PFW Mailbag: Still pondering Butler benching.
• John Rooke’s View from Above: Rubber-necking from the right side of the wreck.
• Angelique Fiske mentions how Tom Brady led NFL jersey sales in some unusual places.
• PFW in Progress 2/20: Butler saga continues; Free Agent forecast. (2 hour program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Brent Schwartz (PatriotsWire) 4 keys for Patriots entering 2018 offseason. 1. Sort out the tension between the Patriots’ big three.
• Kevin Duffy takes a quick look at the state of the Patriots roster to identify the areas of need this offseason.
• Phil Perry continues his offseason position breakdown: Receiver. Patriots get Edelman back, but what about Amendola?
• Kevin Duffy explains why the Patriots would be taking a major risk in letting Dion Lewis leave.
• Doug Kyed profiles LB Marquis Flowers and wonders about his value on the open market.
• Mike Reiss looks at the Alan Branch situation. He hopes a team will pay him to play one more year, but there are reasons the Pats may not bring him back.
• Zack Cox takes a long look at the cornerback positon: With Butler surely gone, help needed at corner.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Julian Edelman gives a brief look at how ACL recovery is going.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Rob Gronkowski’s top 10 plays from 2017 season. (4.36 min. video)
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Nigel Bradham should be on the Patriots radar in free agency.
• Doug Kyed thinks the Patriots should call the Chiefs about trading for All-Pro CB Marcus Peters.
• Ryan Hannable tells us Doug Martin and Brian Cushing aren’t the right kind of free-agent pickups for the Patriots.
• Zack Cox gauges the Patriots’ potential interest in free agent RB Doug Martin.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) This stat about Patriots running backs’ earnings shows Bill Belichick’s cap wizardry.
• Chris Warner (BostonSportsMediaWatch) Round-by-round review, Pats draft 2018.
• Ryan Hannable is starting to believe the Malcolm Butler benching truly was just a football decision and Belichick went with his gut.
• Ryan Hannable highlights Alan Branch on WEEI, saying he had no idea Malcolm Butler wouldn’t play at all in the Super Bowl.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Tag window is officially open.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Team-by-team look at potential tag candidates.
• Cam Mellor (ProFootballFocus) Top 10 unrestricted free agents on offense. No. 6 Nate Solder.
• Josh Liskiewitz (ProFootballFocus) Top 2018 NFL Draft linebackers by coverage grade.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Pats’ struggles in dime defense made Malcolm Butler’s absence more conspicuous.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Lazy comparisons for Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield bound to cost ignorant NFL teams
• Peter King (SI) Andrew Luck: ‘Ship has sailed’ on more surgery as Colts QB eyes minicamp return; MMQB Mailbag. /King included obligatory mention of Colts’ hard feelings about McDaniels.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Bill Polian’s take on Nick Foles gives the lie to his past claims about Tom Brady.
• Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Jesse James glad Eagles won, so his catch/non-catch wasn’t decisive. /Um... it kinda was in the AFC Championship game, but never mind.
• Josh Moyer (CentreDaily) Pittsburgh Steelers TE Jesse James sounds off on the ‘catch’ that wasn’t a catch.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Will Garoppolo, McCarron be able to adjust once defenses see what they can do?
• Daniel Kelley (ProFootballFocus) LeGarrette Blount, the running back in the wrong time.
• Kevin Draper (NY Times) Expanding its NFL coverage, Fox will broadcast NFL draft.
• Andrew Bucholtz (Awful Announcing) Fox is reportedly pushing for a stronger Thursday Night Football schedule, might move some Sunday matchups to Thursday. /Boo!
• Conor Orr (SI) The original NFL draft bible (1936), and Lamar Jackson in an old, stale controversy.
• Albert Breer (SI) NFL Mock Draft Vol. 2: The pre-combine, pre-free agency projection. Pats pick Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Lindsay Gibbs (ThinkProgress) Former NFL players struggle to get paid after reaching $1 billion settlement over concussions.