TEAM TALK
- Game Preview: Patriots at Eagles. Series history, what to watch for, tale of the tape.
- Mike Dussault shares the news, notes and locker-room buzz from Tuesday at Gillette: Patriots prep for fast and aggressive Eagles defense.
- Conference Call Transcripts: Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, Jerod Mayo.
- NFL announces schedule changes for Week 16; Patriots-Bills date and time finalized.
- Highlights: Kyle & Marissa Van Noy hosted their third annual celebrity server night along with Patriots teammates to benefit the Van Noy Valor foundation. (35 sec. video)
- Patriots Playbook: John Rooke, Erik Scalavino, Phil Perry and Ryan Hannable preview Pats-Eagles. (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
- Michael Hurley dives into the question of the week: Do the Eagles stink? If not, why not; If so, how bad’s the stench?
- Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Getting to know the Philadelphia Eagles: The offense is changing their identity; Eagles front seven present a tough matchup; More.
- Nick Goss points out both the Patriots and Eagles have much to play for in Week 11. When asked about a particular aspect of Super Bowl LII that stung, Kyle Van Noy said, “Defensively we couldn’t stop anybody. It just pisses me off we lost that game.” “...we’re going to use it as motivation.”
- Nick Goss notes referee Bill Vinovich has been assigned to work Pats-Eagles Sunday afternoon, a crew that has called the fewest penalties per game in the league this season.
- Chad Finn provides an unconventional review of the Patriots’ 8-1 start: Nine games down, perhaps 10 to go...
- Sean T. McGuire takes stock of the Patriots at the bye week. Where they’ve excelled: Gilmore-led secondary. Where there’s room for improvement: Stopping the run. More.
- Doug Kyed examines New England’s lack tight end production this season. ‘Was Hollister a big loss? No. Can the Patriots continue winning with Watson, Izzo and LaCosse? Yes.’
- Matt Vautour notes Herm Edwards, who coached N’Keal Harry at Arizona State, predicts the rookie receiver will be ready: ’Lights won’t be too big for him when he’s on the field’.
- Nick O’Malley highlights Julian Edelman talking with Ian Rapoport on how Patriots get new guys to buy-in to Belichickian system: ‘You get institutionalized, bro; you just do it’.
- Sean T. McGuire explains why he believes James White should be more of a focal point in the Patriots offense.
- Andy Hart wants to see rookie RB Damien Harris get his chance.
- Ryan Hannable wonders if the hurry-up offense vs. Ravens was a one-time thing, or if the Pats will use it more.
- Zachary DuPont notes Bill Belichick provided some perspective on losing Super Bowl LII, “I think about some of the games we lost in ‘75.”
- Zack Cox offers an updated look at the playoff picture entering Week 11.
- Jerry Thornton calls it insane that we are still debating whether the Patriots should’ve traded Jimmy G.
- Ryan Hannable notes Jerod Mayo discusses how social media has changed over years in the Patriots locker room.
- Zachary DuPont shows a video clip of Randy Moss celebrating his son’s crazy catch for LSU, during an ESPN broadcast.
- Patriots Beat podcast: Mike Petraglia welcomes in Doug Kyed to discuss the potential returns of N’Keal Harry and Isaiah Wynn and looks at the second half of the season. (24 min.)
- Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate previews Patriots-Eagles with Thomas Murphy (24 min.)
NATIONAL NEWS
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL schedules Texans-Bucs, Bills-Patriots, Rams-49ers for Week 16 Saturday.
- Cameron Filipe (Football Zebras) Week 11 referee assignments. Pats at Eagles: Bill Vinovich.
- Mike Freeman (Bleacher Report) 10-Point Stance: What happened to Super Bowl Rams; Chiefs defense could be costly; San Francisco’s turnover machine; More.
- Jori Epstein (USA Today) Michael Bennett on adjusting to Cowboys: After Patriots, learning any defense is easy.
- Kevin Clark (The Ringer) Go for it: The story behind the NFL’s fourth-down conversion. ‘Ten years ago this week, the Patriots failed to convert a fourth down in a pivotal loss to the Colts, but they started a conversation about being more aggressive’. /Still fresh, man.
- Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Here’s what you missed from NFL Week 10: Key nuggets on every team, race for the No. 1 pick, playoff peek.
- David Carr (NFL.com) Offensive player rankings, Week 11. ‘Three of the longest-tenured NFL quarterbacks -- Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers -- will hit the free-agent market in March if they don’t agree to new deals with their teams before the start of the new league year.’
- Kristopher Knox (Bleacher Report) Biggest takeaways from every NFL team’s 2019 rookie class. Patriots: Getting unexpected contributions.
- Mike Jones (USA Today) These six NFL teams should start worrying about their playoff potential. Includes 3 upcoming Pats opponents: Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills.
- Maurice Moton (Bleacher Report) NFL players who just need a change of scenery.
- Tadd Haislop (Sporting News) When is Super Bowl 2020? Date, location, odds, halftime show for Super Bowl 54.
- Elizabeth Merrill (ESPN) Patriots RB Jonas Gray’s brush with fantasy vs. reality, five years ago.
- Rapsheet + Friends podcast (WestwoodOneSports) Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo stop by to talk football. Guest Julian Edelman. (1 hour)
VIEW FROM PHILADELPHIA
- Ed Barkowitz (Inquirer.com) This likely is Tom Brady’s final visit to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. It’s been a (mostly) one-sided rivalry.
- Dave Spadaro (PhiladelphiaEagles) Back to work: 9 thoughts with Patriots now in sight. 1. The Eagles need help at wide receiver with the loss of DeSean Jackson.
- Reuben Frank (NBC Sports Philadelphia) Do Tom Brady and Patriots have a Philly Special of their own planned this time around? /In their heads...
- Erin McCarthy (Inquirer.com) As Eagles prepare for Patriots, they use a special resource: Super Bowl LII.
- Paul Domowitch (Inquirer.com) Eagles have no room for slow start vs. Patriots in Super Bowl rematch.
- Ed Kracz (SI Eagles) Bill Belichick no stranger to city of brotherly love.
- E.J. Smith (Inquirer.com) What Patriots coach Bill Belichick is saying about Eagles fans, Carson Wentz.
- Dave Zangaro (NBC Sports Philadelphia) Jeff Stoutland staunchly defends Jason Peters; Eagles won’t switch to Andre Dillard.
- Zack Rosenblatt (NJ.com) 7 takeaways from Eagles coaches on Alshon Jeffery’s struggles, Andrew Sendejo’s release, Brandon Brooks’ extension, more.
EXTRACURRICULAR
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL, not Colin Kaepernick, arranged Saturday workout.
- Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) Just like NFL’s deal with Jay-Z, the Colin Kaepernick workout looks like a PR trap.
- Nancy Armour (NFL.com) All those predictions of the NFL’s impending demise now seem quite silly.
- Steve Politi (NJ.com) He told a kid to slide. Then he got sued. /Not NFL-related, but this story is chilling for anyone who coaches kids.