New England Patriots links 1/21/21 - Pats’ cap space 6th-most in NFL; Krafts-Pats celebrate 27 years

TEAM TALK

• Megan O’Brien reports the 2021 Senior Bowl will be the key scouting event of the offseason.
• Highlights: Top 10 Patriots plays of 2020. (4.32 min. video)
• Memorable Moments: Kraft family to celebrate 27 years of owning the New England Patriots. (4.10 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• CBS Boston reports Robert Kraft purchased the Patriots 27 years ago today.
• Doug Kyed continues his look into Bill Belichick’s drafting ability: The Patriots were among the NFL’s best drafters and had more hits than misses in the early 2010s. /Pt. 3 of an interesting series.
• Nick O’Malley passes along a Field Yates report that the Patriots are set to roll over $19,571,247 in cap space next season, the 6th-highest in the NFL.
• Michael Hurley says the Patriots were proven wrong on the Tom Brady decision, but explains why Belichick’s situation is more complicated than that.
• Bill Burt takes time to defend and define ‘The Patriot Way’ after Bruce Arians butchered it. “What Arians didn’t say was that he inherited 20 years of experience, 77 percent winning percentage, nine Super Bowl trips and six Super Bowl wins. Oh yeah, and 20 years with the greatest football mind in the history of the sport.”
• Mark Daniels lays out why Cam Newton is not the right fit for the 2021 Patriots. “It can be argued that the Pats would be better served to acquire a quarterback who’s a more natural passer — especially if offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is sticking around. Newton would also be better served to find a team that runs an offense catered to his skill set.”
• Ryan Hannable notes Draft analyst Rob Rang believes Florida TE Kyle Pitts is the best pass catcher in the draft, which is good news for them as he potentially could be available to them in Round 1.
• Daniel Morrison (MusketFire) 8 Potential first-round picks for the Pats who don’t play quarterback.
• 98.5 the Sports Hub says not everyone in Philadelphia is sold on Josh McDaniels.
• Danny Jaillet (PatriotsWire) Report: Josh McDaniels is a finalist in the Eagles’ coaching search.
• Dakota Randall passes along a report that Josh McDaniels recently began assembling a staff in the event he is offered the Eagles head coaching position.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) Mark’s Morsels: NFL coaching changes.
• Hayden Bird tells us the list of compensatory draft picks the Patriots are projected to receive in 2021.
• Gary “Sunshine & Rainbows” Tanguay warns Pats fans that it’s the dawn of a new era, and it isn’t going to be good.
• Karen Guregian writes how Tom Brady is making the Buccaneers believers.
• Michael Hurley makes his Championship Round picks: The sick and twisted Super Bowl matchup America needs.
• Mark Daniels explains Tom Brady has the difference maker for both the Buccaneers and Patriots.
• Zack Cox talks about how Philip Rivers’ AFC Championship loss to the Patriots defined his career.
• Doug Kyed mentions Philip Rivers’ retirement puts Tom Brady’s longevity in greater perspective.
• Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) Julian Edelman honors Phillip Rivers following QB’s retirement from football.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Tom Brady has won the breakup with Bill Belichick ... for now.
• Jenny Vrentas (SI) Brady vs. Rodgers, again, after all.
• Cynthia Frelund (NFL.com) Championship Sunday mismatches: Will Pack torch Bucs on early downs? Can Chiefs stop Stefon Diggs?
• NFL Nation (ESPN) Answering the biggest injury questions for NFL conference championship playoff teams.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Chiefs change injury report to show Patrick Mahomes as limited after first listing him as full participant at practice.
• JR Radcliffe (USA Today) Tom Brady won’t be the first QB guiding a new team in conference championships; Here’s how others fared.
• Kaelen Jones (The Ringer) Tom Brady’s supporting cast is the key to the Buccaneers winning it all—Just as it was intended. /Um...yeah... it’s a team sport.
• Albert Breer (SI) Mailbag: Why do so many GMs get second chances instead of new candidates getting hired? Plus, what the Jets would give up for Deshaun Watson, the QB situations in Detroit and San Francisco, and Peyton Manning’s future.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) NFL insider notes: Critical voices mount about lack of diversity in coach hiring, plus more on coach carousel.
• Joel Corry (CBS Sports) Agent’s Take: Here’s how Saints can dig out of 2021 salary cap mess.
• Jay Busbee (Yahoo! Sports) The ‘worst rule in football’ isn’t wrong at all.
• Steve Gardner (USA Today) NFL referee Sarah Thomas gets history-making Super Bowl assignment
• Marcus Hayes (Inquirer.com) Josh McDaniels is the best candidate, so the Eagles should hire him.
• Paul Domowitch (Inquirer.com) Why Carson Wentz could be a reason the Eagles are reluctant to make Duce Staley their head coach.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Philip Rivers retires: Colts’ top five options at QB in 2021, with Sam Darnold among logical possibilities.
• Conor Orr (SI) Philip Rivers oozed competitiveness and chased last-minute comebacks to the very end.
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) Top 10 quarterbacks to never win a Super Bowl. Rivers ranks 5th.
• Jeff Nowak (NOLA.com) Drew Brees played with serious foot, shoulder injuries for Saints in ‘20, Brittany Brees says.
• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) With ‘no bad options’ left in NFL playoffs, ticket prices are rocketing, even during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) NFL picks for NFC, AFC title games: Aaron Rodgers sends Tom Brady home, Bills-Chiefs a thriller.