New England Patriots links 1/09/19 - Patriots vs. Chargers: A pressure cooker

TEAM TALK

• Game Preview: Chargers at Patriots. Broadcast info, team history, tale of the tape.
• Patriots make a series of roster transactions, including placing TE Jacob Hollister on IR.
• Patriot Place to host playoff rally: Saturday, January 12, 12-4.
• Conference Call transcripts: Bill Belichick - Josh McDaniels - Brendan Daly.
• Patriots Right Now - Kickoff episode: Everything you need to know about the Patriots every weekday during the playoffs. (15.23 min. video)
• Highlights - Unlikely Heroes: Bethel Johnson (33 second video) - Tom Brady (1.25 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Kevin Duffy dives into the matchups: Patriots O-line vs. Chargers pass rush will be the most critical matchup on the field.
• Mike Reiss focuses on how the WR corps has evolved over the season and whether they have enough weapons around Brady against one of the NFL’s better defensive units.
• Andrew Callahan addresses how New England will pressure Philip Rivers on Sunday.
• Evan Lazar explains how the Patriots offense will have to hide their tendencies from the Chargers defense.
• Tom Keegan talks about how the defense is readying for a chess match against Philip Rivers.
• Ryan Hannable calls attention to rookie safety Derwin James, the Chargers’ most important player on defense against the Patriots but still a relative unknown.
• Nick O’Malley finds the Patriots preparing for a ‘much better’ Chargers team than the one they beat in 2017.
• Karen Guregian details how Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are two of the most compelling characters in the divisional round, and how they’re driven to beat each other to a pulp.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Forget Brady vs. Rivers, It’s RBs vs RBs.
• DJ Bean wonders if the Patriots are really a team the Chargers should fear anyway.
• Andrew Callahan suggests the Patriots might catch a break with Melvin Gordon battling a knee injury.
• Michael Hurley effectively, methodically rebuts Mike Tanier’s smarmy “Tom Brady really is getting old” take that’s stinking up the internet.
• Tom E. Curran tackles the latest great debate: Is Tom Brady getting old, or is something else to blame for his 2019 decline.
• Andrew Callahan highlights Tom Brady addressing his future on his “Why Sports Matter” podcast: “I feel like I have to keep playing football.”
• Ryan Hannable mentions how the cold weather may be a more significant factor working in the Pats’ favor than we think.
• Andrew Callahan hears from the players on how they would welcome poor weather this Sunday vs. LA: ‘We’ve been waiting for a snow game.’
• Zack Cox reexamines the Patriots-Chargers last meeting, Week 8 of the 2017 season, to see what we can learn from it.
• Karen Guregian Patriots Notebook: Throw out the stats. It’s a new season for the defense.
• Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) 2018 Belichick Hoodie update & AFCDG prediction.
• Matt McCarthy gives us a Patriots divisional round retrospective: 2004 vs. Colts.
• Karen Guregian reports Josh McDaniels says the “book is closed” on any more head coaching interviews for this year. “...I’m completely focused on the Chargers, and our season, and finishing strong.”
• Ryan Hannable passes along a report saying Brian Flores is ‘near, if not at the top’ of the Dolphins’ list for a new head coach.
• David Furtado (LastWordOnSports) Richard Seymour: A case for Canton.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Lorenzo Reyes (USA Today) NFL playoff X-factors: Eight things that could swing divisional-round games. New England: RB James White; Los Angeles: Stopping DE Trey Flowers.
• Mike Tanier (Bleacher Report) His passing numbers don’t lie: Tom Brady really is getting old. “...analytics types like me have no clue what to do with most of [the NextGenStats] .” /But he’s jumping in anyway, annoyed with Pats fans he presumes will take his “analysis” badly -- restating for the stupid that “Brady is old, and his skills are slipping. .... It’s only controversial among those who don’t want it to be true.” And fully embraced by those who do.
• Michael Renner (ProFootballTalk) NFL front seven rankings: All 32 teams after 17 weeks. Patriots 27th. “While the rest of the group was generally ineffective, Trey Flowers‘ dominance this season is worth highlighting.”
• Michael Renner (Pro Football Focus) NFL secondary rankings: All 32 teams after 17 weeks. Patriots 2nd, Chargers 3rd.
• Austin Gayle (ProFootballFocus) Signature stat spotlight: Offensive line.
• Staff (ESPN) Biggest 2019 offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams. Patriots: Acquire the QB of the future.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) Patriots promote Stephen Anderson, place Jacob Hollister on IR.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Josh McDaniels closes the door on leaving the Patriots, this year.
• Andrew Brandt (SI) Business of Football: What’s going on in that coaching interview? Inside the firing-and-hiring process.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Brady, Vinatieri, Gostkowski moving up career postseason games list.
• Tom Schad (USA Today) NFL, NFLPA say there is ‘no evidence’ that Eric Reid was unfairly targeted with drug tests. /NFL investigates itself, finds itself innocent. Go figure.
• Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Oliver Luck: XFL will consider taking players before eligible for the NFL Draft.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) XFL reiterates that it’s not restricted by other league’s rules.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) AAF will use the same eligibility rules as the NFL.