New England Patriots links 8/13/18 - Popping the wide receiver bubble battle

TEAM TALK

• Game Preview: Preseason Week 2, Eagles at Patriots.
• Andy Hart’s Day 12 Blogservations: Brady, Patriots get back to work; During pre-practice position drills a lot of the defensive players worked on loose balls and fumbles in the wet, muddy conditions; More.
• Erik Scalavino shares his Sunday camp notes: Former PUP guys making progress; Play of the Day: During WR vs. DB 1-on-1 drill early in practice, when rain was falling hard, Braxton Berrios was well-covered by a defender, but managed to make a spectacular one-handed grab while spinning 180-degrees and falling to the turf on his back.
• Conference Call transcript: Bill Belichick.
• Press Pass: Jonathan Jones and Jason McCourty met the media after practice. (1.05 min. video)
• One-on-one: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (2.01 min. video) and RB Jeremy Hill (1.20 min. video)
• Sights and sounds: Patriots vs. Redskins. (2.43 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss posts some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Stephon Gilmore finally finds stability with Patriots; Patrick Chung inspired by young fan battling cancer; More.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Sunday Patriots news, AFC East notes: On the Packers first drive of their preseason game against Tennessee, Brett Hundley completed a 48-yard bomb to Davante Adams who blew by Butler, giving the Packers a first and goal at the two. Maybe it is the conspiracy theorist in me, but if Butler had picked it off and went to the house, what would you think the odds would be that the play would have been all over the sports talk radio world?
• Ryan Hannable’s Sunday 7: What’s going on with Jason McCourty? Is he in danger of being cut?
• Matt Dolloff’s Sunday Shift: The worst call in the Patriots’ preseason opener had nothing to do with helmet hits.
• Kevin Duffy details Sunday’s practice: OL Isaiah Wynn and LB Ja’Whaun Bentley saw an uptick in practice reps; Busy day for Tom Brady. He attempted 20 passes in 11-on-11s. Despite reports of a back injury, he seemed fine Sunday; More.
• Phil Perry sends another Postcard from Camp: Brady gets back in action.
• Doug Kyed’s Training camp observations: Isaiah Wynn saw time at right tackle in the first offense; Devin Lucien, who had a strong game Thursday night, has been a quiet standout in practice, as well; More.
• Matt Dolloff Training Camp: Notes from a rainy, busy Sunday for Tom Brady.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Monday Patriots Notebook: Players face a quiet struggle; Eagles TE deals with hoax report.
• Mike Reiss profiles Trent Brown: The man behind the challenge of protecting Tom Brady’s blindside is the biggest man in the NFL, who also has a big heart, is humble and has a passion for family.
• Mark Daniels talks about Jonathan Jones return to the secondary after spending most of training camp rehabbing. “The first snap Jones saw during Sunday’s 11-on-11 session, Brady went right after him. Jones showed little rust on the play as he deflected the pass intended for tight end Jacob Hollister. It was a welcome back moment.”
• Doug Kyed brings up how DT Adam Butler reshaped his body, coming to camp noticeably larger, as part of his plan to fight for a roster spot.
• Kevin Duffy catches up with Cyrus Jones who is still aiming to make a big impact on the defense.
• Ryan Hannable offers a few quick thoughts on the wide receiver battle and each player currently on the depth chart.
• Phil Perry throws himself out there with his 53-man roster projection. Gillislee, Decker out.
• Doug Kyed takes a stab at his 53-man roster projection: Eric Decker out. It turns out there was a reason he was still a free agent.
• Ryan Hannable tosses his 53-man roster projection into the ring too: Decker in; Berrios, McCarron out.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Patriots’ 53-man roster projection: Taking shape after preseason Week 1. Decker out (too early to tell).
• Michael Hurley wonders if Ralph Webb is for real and other leftover Patriots thoughts.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Report: Marcus Cannon expected to return from injury by regular season.
• Zack Cox passes along a report that Tom Brady’s sore back is ‘pretty minor’ and nothing to worry about.
• Adam London notes Tom Brady was spotted trying out a new helmet at practice.
• Kevin Duffy and Karen Guregian Patriots Notebook: With roster spot in jeopardy, Jason McCourty still helps young cornerbacks.
• Adam London Patriots Notes: Marcus Cannon injury update; Jonathan Jones ‘catching up’.
• Ryan Hannable notes Dante Scarnecchia was stunned when Randy Moss singled him out in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
• Ryan Hannable mentions that Tom Brady is reportedly getting $10 million now instead of over the entire season.
• Joy Manning (BostonSportsChick) Did Brady’s restructure actually save the Patriots $5 million?
• Josh Slagter calls Tom Brady’s $5 million added incentives ‘a slap in the face’ and calls the Patriots cheap because Brady’s making less than Jimmy G.
• Alex Reimer says the NFL’s dismissal of two Steelers Deflategate controversies exposes Patriots double-standard.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Jason McCourty on the roster bubble in New England.
• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: The world according to Gruden.
• Peter King (ProFootballTalk) Football Morning in America: Jimmy Garoppolo in picture perfect situation as a QB.
• Mike Tanier (Bleacher Report) Monday Morning Digest: Overreacting to preseason Week 1.
• Staff (ESPN) Preseason Week 1 takeaways. Patriots: “Meanwhile, the defense looked similar to the last time it took the field in the Super Bowl, as a lack of speed showed up, and showed that the unit has a lot of work to do.”
• Conor Orr (SI) Derrius Guice the latest victim of the preseason (Read: meaningless) football injury.
• Mike Tanier (Bleacher Report) NFL preseason is broken, but fixes exist if we’re willing to let go of the past.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL must rewrite the new helmet rule, now.
• Brian Costello (NY Post) Wild Jets-Redskins brawl breaks out at practice. /Just for lols.
• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Voter fraud: Why sportswriters shouldn’t vote for sports awards.