New England Patriots news 12/29/21: Michael Onwenu embraces his new role

TEAM TALK

• Paul Perillo notes that fortunes change quickly in the NFL.
• Mike Dussault opens the notebook to point out that the Patriots offense is aiming for a strong finish to the regular season.
• Patriots Unfiltered discusses some leftovers from Week 16 plus Covid-19 developments in its latest episode. (2:02:06 audio)
• Patriots.com publishes its weekly sights and sounds from the game. (3:15 video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Nick O’Malley (MassLive) points out that Michael Onwenu has embraced his role as a big tight end.
• Karen Guregian (Boston Herald) reports that the Patriots are preparing for all eventualities with Matthew Judon on the Covid-19 list.
• Zack Cox (NESN) shares Josh McDaniels’ thoughts about Mac Jones hitting the rookie wall.
• Jim McBride (Boston Globe) hears from Jerod Mayo about New England’s slow starts.
• Henry McKenna (Patriots Wire) lists what went wrong for the Patriots in Week 16.
• Zack Cox (NESN) relays Josh McDaniels’ statements about getting Jonnu Smith involved more in the offense.
• Christopher L. Gasper (Boston Globe) wants the Patriots to minimize N’Keal Harry’s role.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) writes about the Dolphins’ recent surge and the problem of peaking too late.
• Michael Baca (NFL.com) lists the NFL’s Players of the Week.
• Judy Battista (NFL.com) believes that John Madden’s impact on the NFL influenced generations of football fans.
• Barry Werner (Touchdown Wire) reports that Bruce Arians has tested positive for Covid-19.
• Charean Williams (Pro Football Talk) notes that Tom Brady received a warning from the league after throwing a tablet.