New England Patriots links 5/09/19 - Brady more weighty for 2019 season

TEAM TALK

• Patriots release WR Bruce Ellington.
• Paul Perillo and Andy Hart take their first crack at a way-too-early roster projection: 3 QBs, Danny Etling is out.
• Erik Scalavino profiles new Patriots DT Byron Cowart.
• Highlights: Rob Gronkowski. (9.59 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Ryan Hannable looks at why Tom Brady is adding more weight this offseason.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Tom Brady’s mindset seems to have undergone a major change since 2018. /Eh... think that mindset thing was more media concoction and Brady processing Super Bowl loss than anything else.
• Mike Reiss gives us a timely reintroduction to the Patriots draft class of 2018 as the team prepares to officially welcome its 2019 draftees to town tomorrow. /’memba them?
• Tommy McArdle gives us 5 position battles to keep an eye on: There remains uncertainty at WR and LT, and Bill Belichick may have to make a tough decision at RB.
• Doug Kyed resets the Patriots post-draft roster at tight end. Roster locks: None. On the Bubble: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Matt LaCosse.
• Jerry Thornton is all in on Ben Watson unretiring to play for the Patriots.
• Doug Kyed resets the Patriots post-draft roster at wide receiver, and looks at the situation in two ways: 1. This could be one of the best WR corps in the NFL, or 2. Not so much.
• Phil Perry puts the receiver position back in focus after the Pats released Bruce Ellington: After Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, and Phillip Dorsett come the question marks.
• Andrew Callahan reviews the film to show how the Patriots can guide WR N’Keal Harry to a historic rookie season.
• Nick Briscoe (PatriotsWire) Assessing the risk and reward of Patriots’ top draft pick N’Keal Harry.
• Zack Cox notes the Patriots now have an open spot on their 90-man roster.
• Zack Cox offers a film review of DL Byron Cowart, who was not a standout performer at any point during his college career: Can Patriots unlock this former top recruit’s potential?
• Phil Perry highlights Mike Lombardi on The GM Shuffle podcast, explaining that Bill Belichick and his staff would’ve gone back and looked at the draft to see what they could’ve learned from the process -- including asking themselves if trading out of the second round was the right move.
• Michael Hurley writes that dreams of a ‘Boston slam’ are now offically dead, thanks to the Celtics.
• Devon Clements (PatriotsWire) Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola reenact ‘Cops’ in comedic fashion.
• Adam London passes along where the Patriots land on NFL.com’s 2019 draft class power rankings.
• Ryan Hannable notes Sean McVay admits he wishes he did things differently before the Super Bowl vs. New England.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Andy Benoit (SI) The All-Undrafted Team: NFL’s best players who were signed as undrafted free agents. Pats: James Develin, David Andrews, Michael Bennett, J.C. Jackson.
• Reid Foster (SI) How the NFL’s comp pick game is robbing veteran free agents.
• Hank Gargiulo and Seth Walder (ESPN) Mega NFL projections: Likely Super Bowl LIV matchups, 2020 draft order, more.
• Chris Wesseling (NFL.com) NFL’s top 10 offenses: Saints, Colts, Eagles best of bunch. Pats don’t make list.
• Herbie Teope (NFL.com) Benjamin Watson intends to unretire, visit Patriots.
• Good Morning Football (NFL.com) Benjamin Watson breaks down legendary tackle against Champ Bailey: ‘No way’ it wasn’t a touchback. (2 min. video)
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) NFL players to root for in ‘19: Odell Beckham, Kyler Murray excite. Patriots: WR N’Keal Harry.
• Adam Schein (NFL.com) 2019 NFL bold predictions: Derek Carr’s back, Pittsburgh’s wack.
• NFL Experts (ESPN) Answering the draft’s biggest questions: Our picks for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
• Chuck Schilken (LA Times) Rams coach Sean McVay wishes he’d prepared less for the Super Bowl.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Which quarterbacks won’t get big-money long-term deal?
• Cam Inman (Mercury News) 49ers Garoppolo on his dad, knee comeback, even Nick Bosa. “Last weekend, at the Kentucky Derby, Garoppolo tapped Tom Brady for [ACL rehab] advice.”
• Andrew Marchand (NY Post) NFL Network shows slashed, tensions rise after $20M cuts.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Cop who made traffic stop in Kraft case had vowed to “come up with something” to justify earlier stop.
• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) Robert Kraft’s case could hinge on what did police mean by ‘come up with something’ before traffic stop.
• Andrew Callahan reports that yesterday a Florida judge granted a protective order to seal video surveillance evidence in the case against two women charged in connection with the investigation into the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.
• Conor Orr (SI) More strange tales from the collapse of the AAF.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL pushes back on youth football “myths”.