TEAM TALK
- Angelique Fiske details the Patriots stepping out in style at the ESPYs in Los Angeles. The Patriots were nominated for Best Team (but did not win), and Gronk was honored along with Dwayne Wade and Lindsey Vonn for Best Moment, after all three called it a career.
- Patriots visit the Ron Burton Training Village. (1.40 min. video)
- Patriots Unfiltered 7/11: Rob Gronkowski honored at the ESPY’s, comments he made suggesting a return; a wide variety of offseason topics; which NFL stadium is the best? (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Predicting the Patriots PUP list.
- Ryan Hannable continues his countdown of the 15 most important Patriots for 2019: No. 4 Dont’a Hightower - No. 3 Stephon Gilmore.
- Tom E. Curran sprinkles some salt on today’s Great Patriots Debate: Was Bill Parcells more of a savior or traitor?
- David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Patriots Greatest Games: Super Bowl 51. /Includes plenty of gifs. Perfect read for a summer-Friday workday.
- Ryan Hannable notes Rob Gronkowski revealed his new favorite activity at the ESPYs last night: Corn hole.
- Nick O’Malley tells us Stephon Gilmore will be on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ when he’ll take on Matthew Slater’s dad on Sunday’s episode.
- Daniel Barletta (LastWordOnSports) Faces of the franchise: 2019 New England Patriots.
- Michael McMahan highlights Todd Gurley joking to The Athletic’s Molly Knight about having Tom Brady nightmares.
- Marcus Kwesi O’Mard notes Tracy Morgan ribbed Tom Brady with a kinda funny joke in his ESPYs monologue.
- Ryan Hannable relays a story told by Elandon Roberts, who says he was harassed by police in an incident because of race. ‘Dash cam footage shows he was going 59 mph in a 35 mph zone.’
- Russ Goldman (PatsFans) Patriots Fourth And Two Podcast: Analysis of the Patriots regular season schedule. (45.22 min.)
NATIONAL NEWS
- Grant Suneson (247WallSt) Sports teams running out of fans. Data includes 4 NFL teams.
- Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Top 10 head coaches in NFL: Bill Belichick still reigns, but who fills out the rest of the list?
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Four of five unsigned first-round picks are represented by CAA.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Melvin Gordon hopes to buck trend of “devalued” running back.
- Gil Brandt (NFL.com) 2019 NFL season: Finding homes for top remaining free agents. DE Allen Bailey to the Pats.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) PFT 2019 storyline No. 13: How and when will the Tyreek Hill situation be resolved?
- Kalyn Kahler (SI) Why the 2020 NFL draft class of wide receivers is worthy of your attention.
- Conor Orr (SI) After Kingsbury: What to look for in the next wave of NFL coaching hires.
- Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Sean Payton expects coaches will be “more judicious” with challenges.
- Kevin Seifert (ESPN) Sources: NFL shelves full-time officiating program. “The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFLRA expires on May 31, 2020, and both sides hope to avoid a repeat of its ugly 2012 lockout of officials.” /No one wants to see replacement refs ever again.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) “Hundreds of calls and offers” received after Albert Haynesworth asks for a kidney.
- Peter D’Oench (CBS Miami) Exclusive: Injured Miami Dolphins player Kendrick Norton speaks for first time; “I am alive and I am grateful.”
- Paul Kuharsky (PaulKuharsky.com) Mike Vrabel willing to cut his d--- off for a Super Bowl win. /Church Lady: “Isn’t that special”
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: NFL likely to stick with DirecTV through end of current deal.
- Robert Mays and Kevin Clark (The Ringer) The Ringer NFL Show: The offensive epidemic from a defensive point of view. (37.11 min.)