Tag: Tom Brady

Former Saints LB Vince Biegel turning into a bright spot for Dolphins

Few would argue that the New Orleans Saints made a bad move in swapping linebackers with the Miami Dolphins back before the NFL roster cuts deadline, shipping out a special teams ace and defensive reserve for a starting-quality veteran. Kiko Alonso …

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Few would argue that the New Orleans Saints made a bad move in swapping linebackers with the Miami Dolphins back before the NFL roster cuts deadline, shipping out a special teams ace and defensive reserve for a starting-quality veteran. Kiko Alonso has played well for New Orleans in his first few months on the job, gradually picking up more of the defensive playbook and earning increasingly-high snap counts.

But this is a case where both parties came away feeling good about what they’d gained. For Miami, it meant a talented pass rusher who’s just happy to have the opportunity. Vince Biegel has turned into a bright spot in a season that’s been tough to watch for Dolphins fans. He ranks second on the team in sacks (2) but leads the defense in hits (11) by a landslide. If he put up those same numbers for the Saints, he’d rank third-best in each category.

According to pressure rates charted by Pro Football Focus, Biegel places inside the top 10 for pass rushers league-wide, ranking just above Marcus Davenport. That shows that he’s performing well with consistency on a snap-to-snap basis, not just notching a few lucky plays.

And for Biegel and his family, the opportunity to start on a defense and make a career in Miami is something to be grateful for. Wins and losses are great (and his fortunes there would be widely reversed if the Saints hadn’t traded him), but the chance to write his own NFL story is something he appreciates.

“To be in (Dolphins coach Brian Flores) defense has been a blessing for me,” Biegel said earlier this season. “Coach Flo reminds me a lot of Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, a guy who really loved to mix it up, a great defensive mind who really put guys in great positions to make plays.”

And he’s made some memorable plays for Dolphins faithful already, including his first career sack — which came against none other than New England Patriots legend Tom Brady. The list of players who can boast that kind of start to their career is brief, and it’s something Biegel takes pride in.

“For me, this has been the most comfortable defense I’ve been a part of so far in the league,” Biegel continued. “It’s been fun to be a part of this defense, make some plays, obviously for the team and continue to grow. As the season progresses, and hopefully (I) stay here for years to come I hopefully can grow and develop and to be a great, great player in this defense.”

So what does this mean for Saints fans? It’s certainly not something to complain about. Biegel was playing well in his role for New Orleans, but the opportunity to add someone as experienced as Alonso was too good to pass up, especially with Biegel buried on the depth chart. If anything, having someone to root for during Dolphins games is a plus for fans of the black and gold — so long as they aren’t the ones playing against Biegel and his new team.

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Tom Brady offers support for Celtics guard Marcus Smart’s charity work

Tom Brady made donations for Marcus Smart’s silent auction.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appears to be supporting Marcus Smart’s charity work on social media and at a silent auction. The Boston Celtics guard hosted a digital silent auction for his Bowling Bash, which is an effort to raise money for the YounGameChanger Foundation.

According to the event information, Smart’s foundation “helps provide families with seriously and chronically ill children with encouragement and life-changing experiences. It is also a voice of motivation, empowerment, and encouragement to inner-city young athletes to be game-changers off the court or field.”

Brady donated an autographed jersey and football for the silent auction, but he wasn’t the only Patriots to contribute. Cornerback Jason McCourty also contributed a pair of autographed and game-worn cleats.

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Tom Brady says the Patriots’ 8-1 record doesn’t matter

Records are deceiving at this time of year.

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If the New England Patriots’ most recent loss reminded us anything, it’s that records can be deceiving. New England (8-1) fell to the Baltimore Ravens (7-2), 37-20. An even more dramatic upset took place in Week 10, with the Atlanta Falcons (2-7) beating the New Orleans Saints (7-2).

So while New England is in sole ownership of the AFC’s top seed, Brady isn’t putting to much stock into the Patriots’ 8-1 record after 10 weeks.

“What I think is at this point, it doesn’t matter,” Brady told Jim Gray during an appearance on Westwood One Radio on Monday. “Because 8-1 means nothing. In 2001, we won the Super Bowl and we were 5-5. In 2015, we were 10-0 and we lost four of our last six. You don’t have to look far. You look at the NHL — how were the St. Louis Blues halfway into (last) season? How were the Houston Astros two months into the season? Not very good. The point is any team at this point, their season is going to be determined by what happens the next seven weeks of football. Not the last nine or 10 — the next seven are going to determine what happens to these teams, their seedings, the playoffs and all that.

“And from our standpoint, I’m happy we’re 8-1, but I really want us to play our best football as we move forward. Everything that’s happened to this point, we’ve got to learn from, we’ve got to use it, and we’ve got to use those things and execute under pressure against the competition that’s going to be at it’s toughest. I’m looking forward to a great opportunity for our team.”

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NFL Week 11 Power Rankings: Upsets rule, and a new team at the top

In the wake of an unlikely trio of upsets, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar assesses the hierarchy of the NFL’s 32 teams.

Some weeks in the NFL, a series of things surprise you. In Week 10, three 1-7 teams posted victories, giving hope to fans of some much-maligned squads.

The Jets beat the Giants, 34-27, as safety Jamal Adams became the sixth player since 2000 to record two quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in the same game. The Dolphins won their second straight game after an 0-7 start, besting the depleted Colts and proving that, at least to head coach Brian Flores and his players, any talk of tanking was pure bunk.

Then, the Falcons improbably whupped up on the Saints, sacking Drew Brees six times and holding New Orleans under 10 points in New Orleans for the first time since 1973.

None of these teams have realistic playoff hopes this season, but the ability to get your game together for even a short part of the season can provide some compelling narratives.

Here’s how all 32 teams stand in out Touchdown Wire’s Week 11 power rankings:

32-25 | 24-17 | 16-9 | 8-1

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

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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Tom Brady not over Super Bowl loss, hints at Patriots using their own ‘Special’ play vs. the Eagles

Tom Brady says he’s still not over Super Bowl loss to the Eagles

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Tom Brady is preparing for his first duel with Carson Wentz, yet he still can’t get over the sting of New England’s crushing 41-33 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII.

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While a guest on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” in Boston on Monday morning, Brady discussed the ‘mental scar tissue’ that remains from that crushing defeat against the Birds.

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

Brady went on to provide further insight into the lasting hangover he feels from that loss.

“In a lot of ways we learned from that year and we came back stronger the next year. 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 vs. 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 of 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.”

Both teams are coming off bye weeks and the Patriots (8-1), are nearly unbeatable when they’ve had a week to prepare.

While discussing the “Philly Special”, Brady hinted at the Patriots pulling out their own bag of tricks in the rematch.

“Tough play to stop. They executed it well,” Brady told WEEI. “That play will go down in history, just like a lot of those big plays in the Super Bowl have. Good for them.”

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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Eagles open up as 3.5-point home underdogs to the Patriots in Week 11

The Philadelphia Eagles open up as 3.5-point home underdogs to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

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The Philadelphia Eagles return home on Sunday for a huge matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots. Despite the Birds current 5-4 record and rest from the bye week, Philadelphia opens up as 3.5-point road underdogs according to odds from BetMGM.

The numbers speak for themselves as the New England Patriots have won an NFL-leading 14 games coming out of a bye week since the 2010 season.

The Patriots are an NFL-best 47-9 (83.9 percent) following a loss since 2003, while the Philadelphia Eagles are 6-4 following their bye week since 2010 as well.

The Eagles have won two in a row to get above .500 at 5-4 and are getting healthy at the right time.

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