New England Patriots links 2/15/22 - Resetting the cap; replenishing the staff; Harrison deserves HoF

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2022 Mock Draft Tracker.
• Key dates on the 2022 NFL / Patriots calendar.
• Paul Perillo’s NFL Notes: There will be plenty on Belichick’s plate

LOCAL LINKS

• Andrew Doherty and Luke Ervin (PatsBuzz) Salary Cap Reset: How the Patriots can create cap space for the 2022 offseason.
• Tom E. Curran wants to know what Belichick’s plan is as Pats’ coaching attrition continues.
• Evan Lazar considers what Joe Judge will bring to the Patriots if he’s the de facto offensive coordinator.
• Jason Mastrodonato shares some leftover Super Bowl thoughts: Cooper Kupp deserved the Super Bowl MVP over Aaron Donald, and More.
• Matt Dolloff breaks down the top-25 players on track to be available in unrestricted free agency.
• Alex Barth defines Rodney Harrison’s Hall of Fame case with a single stat.
• CBS Boston recaps Bill Belichick being roasted at NFL Honors by Jimmy Kimmel and Cousin Sal over Brian Flores text message snafu.
• Michael Hurley mentions Josh Allen making a case for more ‘fair’ overtime system during NFL Honors show. Of course, he fails to mention how his team’s defense failed in OT.
• Khari Thompson highlights Boomer Esiason on Mac Jones and Tom Brady’s potential return.
• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) Twenty-one in ‘22: Draft order clarified for all 32 teams; Patriots projected for six picks.
• Alex Reimer accuses Cris Collinsworth of covering up the NFL’s Super Bowl bag job.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) Monday Afternoon QB: Rams’ Super Bowl run may not be replicable; Plus, Eric Weddle’s incomparable return to the field, what’s next for the Bengals, and more.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) Recapping Rams’ wild Super Bowl win, plus 13 crazy Super Bowl facts and Carson Wentz could be out in Indy.
• Ben Solak (The Ringer) Sean McVay’s Super Bowl blueprint failed. The Rams won once he finally abandoned it.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Bengals’ short-yardage calls vs. Rams among questionable coaching decisions in big game: Both sides had some iffy calls during Los Angeles’ win.
• Eric Edholm (Yahoo! Sports) The Bengals lost a Super Bowl in a way no other team has in 42 years.
• Monte Perez (NutsandBoltsSports) The real NFL end of the season awards.
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) Sean McVay’s early-retirement talk could become a common theme in NFL’s new age of thinking.
• Nate Davis (USA Today) 56 things we learned from Super Bowl 56: How Rams scored crowning achievement vs. Bengals.
• Patrik Walker (CBS Sports) NFL official explains no-call on Tee Higgins’ touchdown against Jalen Ramsey. Simply put, the officiating crew didn’t believe it impacted the outcome of the play. /Wut?
• Greg Bishop and Conor Orr (SI) How the Rams got away, found one another, then found a way.
• Jesse Pantuosco (Audacy) Adam Schefter catches flak for deleted Super Bowl tweet.
• Thomas Neumann (TouchdownWire) Ranking all 56 Super Bowl MVP performances.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Super Bowl MVP voting needs to be overhauled.
• Sam Monson (PFF) Highlighting the top 101 players from the 2021 NFL season.
• Staff (PFF) 2022 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players expected to enter free agency.
• Staff (PFF) 2022 NFL Draft: Pros and cons for PFF’s top draft prospects.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady is “super content” with decision, will “take it day by day.”
• MMQB Staff (SI) NFL power rankings poll: Super Bowl Champion Rams finish on top. No. 10. ‘The Patriots returned to the postseason with rookie Mac Jones under center, which should mean higher expectations next season. Even if that playoff game was far from inspiring.’
• Matt Miller (TheDraftScout) 2022 NFL mock draft: Post Super Bowl predictions. Pats pick Purdue DE George Karlaftis at 21. “It’s impossible to project what the Patriots will do this far out from the Draft, but it is easy to connect the dots of how slow they looked on defense against the Bills with this upcoming draft class’ strength on defense. Karlaftis looked like JJ Watt to start the ‘21 season before cooling off, but he has the player profile to fit the Patriots’ defense to a T.”
• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Who could be the right pick for your team? Patriot pick Ohio State WR Chris Olave. ‘The Patriots haven’t exactly had a ton of success in drafting first-round receivers, but they still need to upgrade that position badly. Olave is a polished, highly productive pass catcher who can provide a field-stretching presence and the ability to get separation in high-leverage situations. He’s a game-ready playmaker who’d provide a boost for Mac Jones.’
• Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports) 2022 NFL Mock Draft. Pats pick Purdue DE George Karlaftis at 21.
• Chad Reuter (NFL.com) Three-round mock draft 1.0: Five trades, five QBs selected in Round 1

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) If NFL wants to address hiring issues, it shouldn’t force Brian Flores’s case to arbitration.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Subpoena could be issued by Congress for Washington investigation documents.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) John Madden remembered at public memorial at Oakland Coliseum.