LOCAL LINKS
- Karen Guregian sees Bill Belichick rebuilding the Patriots defense with the NFL’s new offenses in mind, by assembling a group of RPO-busters.
- Mike Reiss says New England’s running backs are among NFL’s deepest groups, if not the best, which could ease the transition to a more balanced scheme. Two intriguing storylines that could elevate this group to elite status.
- CBS Boston sees the Patriots trying to turn Joejuan Williams into ‘Jack-of-all-trades’ in the secondary.
- Sean T. McGuire highlights Mike Giardi on the specific ways N’Keal Harry is looking to improve. 1. Improve functional mobility; Get quicker.
- Michael Hurley wouldn’t be surprised if Brian Hoyer started over Jarrett Stidham. “HoyerMania, baby. Feel the the excitement.”
- Brian Cass (NFLAnalysis) Jarrett Stidham simply isn’t ready to be a franchise quarterback.
- Luke Ervin (PatsBuzz) Which undrafted free agent will make the final roster?
- Zack Cox notes DT Bill Murray will enter training camp as one of the strongest candidates to crack the Patriots’ 53-man roster. “Why? Three reasons: talent, competition and contract value.”
- Doug Kyed gives us some De’Jon Harris takeaways: Harris physically looks like a safety, but doesn’t play like one.
- CBS Boston’s Steve Burton asked Mike Reiss to list the five most important Patriots for the 2020 season.
- Max McAuliffe (SI Patriots) 3 Most underrated players on Patriots roster. 1. S Adrian Phillips.
- Sean T. McGuire hears Mike Giardi weigh in on what the Patriots offense could look like in 2020.
- Katie Feehan (LastWordOnSports) AFC East in 2020 will be most competitive this season.
- Ryan Hannable tells us Pats FB Dan Vitale spent Memorial Day completing the #murphchallenge: A one mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats and another one mile run all while wearing a 20-pound vest. /Yeesh... only a 20-lb vest?
- Ryan Hannable relays producer Gotham Chopra on what Tom Brady’s documentary “Man in the Arena” will be like.
- Andy Hart meanwhile, feels the need to document why he has “absolutely no interest” in it and will not watch.
- Ryan Hannable notes NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent admitted the NFL “failed miserably” last year with pass interference. /Falls into the “No sh*t, Sherlock” category.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Albert Breer (SI) Monday Afternoon QB: Why teams might be smart to wait to pay their veterans; Jalen Hurts’s competitiveness; More.
- Seth Walder (ESPN) 2020 NFL season projections: Chances to make Super Bowl, win division, land top draft spot, more: Tom Brady’s new team leapfrogs his old one.
- Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Kyler Murray will win 2020 NFL MVP; plus, LeBron James a HOF TE?
- Jordan Dajani (CBS Sports) 2020 NFL win totals, odds, predictions, best bets: The latest odds, plus our top plays.
- Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Ranking NFL 2020 ‘Triplets,’ Part II: A look at the top tiers, from 1-18 and Part I: 19-32.
- Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today) Ranking all 8 of NFL’s divisional worst-to-first contenders: Who could make leap in 2020?
- Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) 2020 NFL survivor squad: Building a 32-man juggernaut with one pick from every team.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Fewer than 20 percent of all draft picks have signed.
- Jason Fitzgerald (OverThe Cap) 2021 NFL team by team salary cap health.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy are co-favorites for coach of the year.
- Robert Mays (The Ringer) The Buccaneers are now the center of the NFL universe. How’d they get here?
- Cameron Wolfe (ESPN) Is Tua Tagovailoa ready to become Miami’s biggest star since Dan Marino?
- Bryan Knowles (Football Outsiders) Dynasty Rankings: Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V.
EXTRACURRICULAR
- Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) The Match becomes most-watched golf event in cable history.
- Akshay Mirchandani (Yahoo! Sports) From Derrick Rose to Bo Jackson: Which athlete would you give a do-over?
- Malika Andrews, et al (ESPN) How close are we to live sports? Where the world’s biggest leagues stand right now.