Tag: New England Patriots

This great story about Joe Burrow running sprints has an analyst comparing him to Tom Brady

The hype around Joe Burrow has no bounds.

Joe Burrow seemed to impress the LSU Tigers as soon as he stepped on the practice field during a transfer visit. Technically he was still a backup quarterback for Ohio State. But when Burrow saw the Tigers running wind sprints, the quarterback couldn’t help himself. He asked whether he could get a pair of shoes and shorts to join the team.

That was surely step one, as he began to win over the LSU program. And it’s stories like that one — paired with his tremendous performances this season — that have led to Burrow’s insane rise into stardom. College football analyst Rick Neuheisel told the story of Burrow’s visit to LSU, and explained why he thinks Burrow draws natural comparisons to Tom Brady.

The hype around Joe Burrow has no bounds, particularly after he won a shootout on Saturday night against Alabama, Nick Saban and Tua Tagovailoa. He and Burrow seem to be locks to go first- and second-overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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David Ortiz jokes about new training regime for Rob Gronkowski

Big Papi immediately told Rob Gronkowski to stop working out.

Rob Gronkowski playfully appointed David Ortiz as his new trainer during a video on Instagram on Sunday. But Gronk may not like what the retired Boston Red Sox slugger has in store for the former New England Patriots tight end.

“I’m his new trainer now, look out. I’m going to get the man right,” Ortiz said. He then whispered into the phone: “Just stop working out.”

If Oritz is, indeed, Gronk’s new trainer (which he isn’t), then Patriots fans can probably end their speculation that Gronk is returning to play football in 2019. But of course, Gronk has already made every indication that he doesn’t plan on coming back to football this year.

If he had a chance of heart, Gronk would need to return before Week 13 to be eligible to play for the playoffs.

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Patrick Chung absent from Patriots’ practice in Week 11

No injury report coming for Monday’s practice.

The New England Patriots were without safety Patrick Chung on Monday during practice in preparation from Week 11 against the Eagles in Philadelphia, according to reporters on the scene.

Chung was absent in the team’s lone practice last week during the bye. He was listed on the last injury report in Week 9 with heel and chest issues. The Patriots will not provide an injury report for Week 11 until Wednesday afternoon. Tight end Ben Watson, who also missed practice in Week 10, returned to the field on Monday to participate.

Though it’s customary for the Patriots to announce injuries and levels of participation, they do not have to do so until Wednesday, per league rules.

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Even Josh Gordon was surprised to learn Patriots would waive him

“Your time can be short lived anywhere.”

Josh Gordon was just as surprised as NFL fans to learn he’d no longer be a New England Patriot. The Seattle Seahawks receiver addressed his surprising exit from New England.

“But we all know it’s a business,” he said Saturday, via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. “Your time can be short lived anywhere. You never know what could happen day to day in the NFL. But that was the decision they made, and I’m glad to be here now, though.”

Gordon joined the Patriots in a trade with the Cleveland Browns during the beginning of the 2018 season. But New England ultimately decided to place him on injured reserve and then on waivers during the 2019 season. The Seahawks claimed him, and Gordon is expected to be active for Monday Night Football.

Gordon played in 17 games for the Patriots in his two seasons, but spent time serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy. That indefinite suspension has caused him to miss significant time over the past five seasons. This season, he had 20 receptions for 287 yards and a touchdown.

Gordon joins a group of Seahawks wideouts, with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Gordon also moves from one MVP candidate, Tom Brady, to the next, Russell Wilson. New England, meanwhile, has receivers Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski.

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Tom Brady says he’s not over Super Bowl LII: ‘A lot of mental scar tissue’

“That was a tough game.” -Tom Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is hung up on the one he didn’t win. Yes, Brady has won three Super Bowls in the last four years. He also won Super Bowl LIII after losing Super Bowl LII. But that didn’t seem to soften the blow of the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Minnesota.

“You assume I’m over it? Come on now,” Brady said on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “That’s a lot of mental scar tissue from that year. That was a tough game.”

The game essentially ended when Brady fumbled on a sack in the fourth quarter. New England had the opportunity for a fourth-quarter comeback drive after trading touchdowns with the explosive Eagles offense for most of the game. But Brandon Graham forced a fumble, which allowed Philly to put their lead out of reach.

“In a lot of ways we learned from that year and we came back stronger the next year,” Brady said. “We won the Super Bowl in ’18. I think everything is a matter of perspective, and when you play in that game and you play great teams, you’re not going to win them all. This is not the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals. This is all about tough competition against the best teams. They deserved it that year, and now a couple years later we get a chance to play the organization again. We’ve had a lot changes, they’ve had a lot of changes. It’s totally different circumstances. Huge game for us. Big game for them. The better team is going to win.”

Brady and the Patriots are coming off a bye in Week 10. They had a long weekend off and will resume work on Monday in preparation for the Eagles in Week 11. There might be an extra level of focus after New England lost 37-20 in Week 9 against the Ravens in Baltimore.

“Hopefully everyone got a chance to decompress a little bit mentally, physically, and now we’ve got to get ready for a great week of preparation and then get ready to go in the there and play our best game of the season on the road, in a really tough environment,” Brady said. “It should be a great Sunday afternoon for football.”

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Ravens hitting their stride at the right time

The Ravens are hitting the point of the season where championship-caliber teams differentiate themselves, and they’re only getting better.

The Baltimore Ravens were supposed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. With Cincinnati winless and having a rookie quarterback getting his first NFL start, it seemed obvious that Baltimore was going to move to 7-2. But the beating the Ravens put on the Bengals proves they’re hitting their stride at the best possible time.

Before kickoff, I noted that this could be a trap game for Baltimore. While they were clearly the superior team on paper, we’ve seen the Ravens embarrass themselves previously under similar circumstances. In fact, it’s a familiar hole they’d fallen into too many times under coach John Harbaugh right as they looked to be on a roll and near the top of the league. But not this week and not this season apparently.

Baltimore’s offense got off to a quick start and never relented, finding room on the ground and through the air against the hapless Bengals. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had another brilliant game, going 15-of-17 for 223 yards, three passing touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He also torched Cincinnati on the ground to the tune of 65 yards and a touchdown, including his highlight-reel 47-yard run. It was a finely tuned game from the starting offense that saw them hang five total touchdowns before putting in backups in the fourth quarter.

The defense got in on the action as well, shutting down the Bengals offense. They pressured quarterback Ryan Finley, largely held running back Joe Mixon down and made two big plays, returning an interception and a fumble for touchdowns. What had been the worst unit on the team earlier this season has quickly turned around into an explosive and dangerous defense.

And that’s really the look of the entire team right now. They’ve gotten better with each and every game. They’re stronger than they were in Week 3 and far more dynamic both on offense and defense. They’ve beaten up on the top teams in the league and are now destroying the teams they should be beating. For as easy as that sounds in theory, look at how the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs all lost in Week 10 to teams with no better than a .500 record.

This is the point where championship-caliber teams start to differentiate themselves. Injuries have piled up on all 32 teams, and there’s more than enough game film to establish weaknesses and mismatches. Yet Baltimore is the only team actually getting better right now.

With everything coming together on defense and opponents having no answer for Jackson and this unique offense, Baltimore is unquestionably one of the best teams in the league right now. And considering they’re built for cold-weather football, the Ravens are looking really scary. If they can keep this level of play up, there’s no reason to think Baltimore shouldn’t be a front-runner for the Super Bowl.

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Patriots-Eagles odds: New England favored over Philadelphia in Week 11

The Philadelphia Eagles are home dogs in Week 11 when they host the New England Patriots.

The Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) host the New England Patriots (8-1) during Week 11’s NFL regular season Sunday, Nov. 17th, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field. The game can be watched on CBS and the NFL’s Redzone. The Patriots, coming off their first loss of the season, enter as a slight favorite, according to odds from BetMGM.

The Patriots (-189) are favored by 3.5 (-110) points against the spread (ATS) over the Eagles. New to sports betting? With a spread of -3.5, that means the Patriots need to not only beat the Eagles, but they need to win by at least four points for an ATS wager on them to cash.

Looking to place a bet on this game or others? Get some action in the game at BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Feeling a upset? A $10 wager on the Eagles (+155) would pay $15.50 in profit should they win outright. Meanwhile, a $10 wager on the Patriots to win outright returns a profit of just $5.29.

The Over/Under on the Eagles/Patriots game has been set at 45.5, with a -106 line on the Over and an -115 on the Under for this Week 11 NFL matchup.

Want to get some action on this game? Place a sports bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, access SportsbookWire.com.

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