New England Patriots links 1/11/21 - 2021 Roster rebuild: Linebacker

TEAM TALK

• Statement from Bill Belichick on Nick Caserio.
• Patriots announce Devin McCourty and James White were named New England Patriots 2020 Ed Block Courage Award winners.
• Mike Dussault reports Jake Bailey and Gunner Olszewski were named AP All-Pro first team; Matthew Slater to second team.
• Paul Perillo issues the Patriots Unfiltered’s 2020 Lighthouse Awards. MVP: Rex Burkhead.
• Angelique Fiske reveals how Patriots players give grants to eight local organizations through their 2020 Social Justice Fund.
• Patriots All Access: Season recap. Steve Burton sits down with Scott Zolak to discuss the offense with a focus on the quarterback. In addition, Mike Reiss and Paul Perillo give an in-depth look at the roster and possible changes that could occur this off season; More. (18 min. video)
• Patriots Unfiltered TV: 2020 season takeaways, Offensive & Defensive MVPs, Jakobi Meyers; More. (22 min. video)
• Patriots This Week: Bob Socci, Scott Zolak and Paul Perillo discuss the off season for the Patriots. (20 min. video)
• One-on-One with Jakobi Meyers. (2.20 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Curtis Samuel, Hunter Henry would be ideal Patriots’ free-agent targets to boost its punchless passing attack; Nick Caserio had reached his ceiling here and Dave Ziegler is highly regarded, with the possibility to breathe new life and potentially some more alternative thinking to Bill Belichick’s; More.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Sunday Patriots News, AFC East Notes: Who stays, who goes? Looking at the Patriots own free agents; More.
• Nick O’Malley tells us 10 things we learned about the 2020 Patriots: Cam Newton was not the savior; 2 rookies look like draft steals; More.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) Patriots offseason roster thoughts.
• Alex Barth speculates on how the Patriots will upgrade at linebacker in 2021.
• Andy Hart believes recent history shows Bill Belichick’s Patriots were overdue for 2020-type season. “Looking at the 19 seasons from 2001-2019, the Patriots were a successful outlier in a league built for parity.”
• Alex Barth revisits his Patriots preseason bold predictions. /Mine are staying buried in the closet.
• Doug Kyed looks at how Cam Newton’s tenure with the Patriots will be remembered if he leaves.
• David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Cam Newton free agent landing spots.
• Zack Cox thumbnails five potential landing spots for Cam Newton.
• Lauren Campbell notes Mike Florio has a ‘gut feeling’ Jimmy Garoppolo ends up back with the Patriots, even though Garoppolo has a no-trade clause for the 2021 league year.
• Phil Perry suggests that it’s time for a Taylor Heinicke, Patriots reunion.
• Doug Kyed explains why retaining Dave Ziegler was important and gives us an updated look at the front office.
• Andy Hart questions if the Texans might possibly be dumb enough to trade Deshaun Watson.
• John Healy notes some potential Patriots targets in the draft will be playing in Monday’s National Championship.
• Doug Kyed tells us what we learned about Tom Brady in his first season away from the Patriots. “Brady was really no different in Tampa Bay than he was in New England.”
• Doug Kyed imagines how the Patriots would have fared with Tom Brady, not Cam Newton, at QB in 2020 and wonders if the Pats would have made the postseason even with him.
• Alexi Iafrato talks about the top three things to look out for during the Pats offseason. (3 min. video)
• Zack Cox brings up Rob Gronkowski’s dominant block in Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game that earned a shout-out from Dont’a Hightower.
• Matt Dolloff points to a new stat that shows how Tom Brady became the Wayne Gretzky of the NFL.
• Mike Reiss reports Donald Trump plans to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to coach Bill Belichick.
• Patriots Fourth and Two podcast: Russ Goldman, Steve Balestrieri look forward to the next Patriots season as we discussed how we would build the team. (1 hour)
• Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate and Tanya Ray Fox (FS1) discuss the likelihood of the Pats’ pursuing Deshaun Watson, the pros/cons of Josh McDaniels returning, Pats’ priority free agents, and putting an end to the Brady-Belichick debate. (54 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Around the NFL (NFL.com) NFL announces playoff game schedule for Divisional Round.
• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Morning QB: Lamar Jackson wins a playoff game; Browns overcome hectic Wild-Card week; Plus, McVay on the QB secret, Nick Caserio’s hiring in Houston, divisional round storylines, top prospects playing Monday night and much more.
• Gary Gramling (SI) Wild-Card Takeaways: Browns get breaks then stay aggressive, Lamar beats playoff narrative, Goff, Bills, Heinicke; More.
• Peter King (ProFootballTalk) FMIA: How the Browns—and a guy named Blake—survived weird Wild-Card week and upset the Steelers; More.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) NFL insider notes: Texans’ many troubles put coach search under scrutiny, Washington’s next steps and more.
• Around the NFL (NFL.com) Super Wild Card Weekend: What we learned from Saturday’s games and Sunday’s games.
• Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) The winners and losers of NFL Wild-Card weekend.
• Adam Schefter (ESPN) Houston Texans ignored search firm in hiring of GM Nick Caserio, sources say.
• Sarah Bishop (ESPN) With new GM Nick Caserio, Texans double down on Patriots-like culture.
• Michael Shapiro (SI) Report: Drew Brees likely to retire after 2020 season.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) What’s next for Ben Roethlisberger?