TEAM TALK
- Erik Scalavino writes an excellent story on Kyle Van Noy, for whom family is a relative term.
- Press Pass: David Andrews. (2 min. video)
- Patriots Unfiltered 1/14: Josh McDaniels staying, uncertainty with Tom Brady, Divisional playoffs, the 2020 draft; More. (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
- David Latham (LastWordOnSports) New England Patriots rookie review: N’Keal Harry.
- WEEI puts together a slide show prioritizing the Patriots 2020 free agents.
- David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Patriots free agent targets: The Offense.
- Chris Mason revisits the Jimmy Garoppolo trade to see if it was worth dealing the rising star to keep Tom Brady.
- Patrick Dunne notes Tom E. Curran disputes the rumors after finding out there is no Tom Brady house in Connecticut.
- NESN relays Pat McAfee’s over-the-top take on the ‘Tom Brady cleaned out his suite’ nonsense.
- Zack Cox explores a Tom Brady-to-Rams scenario: Why it makes sense and why it doesn’t.
- Andy Hart quotes the Houston Chronicle to determine Nick Caserio won’t have Houston as an option when his contract expires in March: “O’Brien is the general manager without the title. Easterby, who completed his first season as executive vice president of team development, is the assistant GM without the title,”
- Darren Hartwell points out Joe Burrow’s record-breaking season for LSU has a fitting Tom Brady connection.
- Dakota Randall passes along Dane Brugler’s (The Athletic) mock draft that has the Patriots picking Utah State QB Jordan Love at No. 23.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Brady, Peyton, Ben absent from AFC Championship for first time in 17 years.
- Teresa M. Walker (AP) The Titans took a gamble hiring Mike Vrabel. Their decision is close to paying off.
- Marc Sessler (NFL.com) NFL coaching hires: Pros/cons for each of the five new head men.
- Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) Looming head coach opportunities may have impacted offensive coordinators during the 2020 playoffs.
- Albert Breer (SI) Wrapping up the college football playoff National Championship: LSU QB Joe Burrow ... is likely on to Cincinnati, the team with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
- Jonathan Jones (CBS Sports) Is early retirement in NFL a trend? Only for the elite money makers.
- Jeremy Bergman (NFL.com) Panthers LB Luke Kuechly retiring after eight seasons.
- Kevin Clark (The Ringer) Luke Kuechly joins esteemed company as an NFL star who retired young.
- Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Rob Gronkowski congratulates Luke Kuechly.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Chiefs are betting favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl, and next year’s too.
- Terez Paylor (Yahoo! Sports) Harold Carmichael, NFL Films’ Steve Sabol, Lions’ Alex Karras among latest inductees to Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) Terrell Owens on not making NFL’s all-time team: ‘I’m a bit pissed off. It’s disrespectful’.
- Jay Rigdon (Awful Announcing) Divisional round games deliver strong totals for all three networks, especially in primetime.
- Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots take Tom Brady’s replacement at No. 23 Utah State QB Jordan Love
EXTRACURRICULAR
- Jay Rigdon (Awful Announcing) Dan Patrick, Michael Wilbon, and Tom Verducci will be inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. In addition, Adrian Wojnarowski and Kevin Harlan were named 2019 sportswriter and sportscaster of the year, respectively.