The New England Patriots officially have entered the dog days of the spring.
The 2017 NFL Draft has concluded, and we’re still over a week away from organized team activities beginning. But Patriots fans still had questions, and we tried to provide some answers. So, without further ado, let’s get into this week’s mailbag.
Do you think pats will offer jimmy a backloaded contract to try to convince him to wait for Brady??
— @NickDygs9
I’m sure they’ll try, but if I were Jimmy Garoppolo, I wouldn’t accept it. Tom Brady legitimately wants to play until he’s 48 years old. So, how long is Jimmy going to wait around to finally start some football games? Until he’s 34?
I’d rather actually play for the Cleveland Browns than sit on the bench and win Super Bowls with the Patriots as the scout-team quarterback. That’s because quarterback is a strange position. If you play any other role on the team, then you can still find the field one way or the other. At quarterback? You’re in mop-up duty, hoping for an injury or another deflated football scandal.
And Garoppolo’s going to make more money on the open market than he would as the backup quarterback of the Patriots.
#MailDoug You’re the Pats GM; Kraft tells you Brady or Jimmy G has to go or you’re fired. Who do you keep and why?
— @MrQuindazzi
Right this second, I’m going with Tom Brady.
I don’t think you can boot a quarterback who just won a Super Bowl and played perhaps the best football of his career for a 15-game span.
It’s shortsighted, and it leaves the Patriots looking for another heir apparent if Jacoby Brissett isn’t “the guy,” but the Patriots have a better chance of winning a Super Bowl in 2017 if Brady is at the helm. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Bill Belichick, it’s that it’s wise to take things one day, one game, one week or one year at a time.
So, in this scenario, sorry Jimmy, you’re going to Cleveland. I’ve heard it rocks, though my personal experiences say otherwise. There is a casino downtown, though, and that adult-contemporarily rocks.
Should the Patriots carry 4 TE’s with Gronk and Allen both being injury prone?
— @JustinMH90
It’s definitely not a terrible idea, but they would have to carry less depth at another position in order to do so.
I think the better idea is to carry either James O’Shaughnessy or Jacob Hollister on the roster with two tight ends — a blocker and a pass-catcher — on the practice squad. O’Shaughnessy, Hollister and Matt Lengel all are practice-squad eligible. I also can’t imagine Michael Williams would be highly sought-after on the open market if he were cut after missing the 2016 season with a torn ACL. The Patriots could keep him on speed dial.
It will be fascinating to see how the Patriots handle Gronkowski this season, since it would be nice to have him around for the 2017 playoffs. Would they really be willing to reduce his workload? Maybe. But I also never thought I’d see him enter a WWE ring while his football career still was ongoing.
The Patriots handle Gronkowski differently. That’s for sure.
If the Patriots are able to retain Blount, is Lewis the odd man out?
— @mstanoisNFL
If LeGarrette Blount goes unsigned before July 22 then signs his May 9 tender, then I think he and Dion Lewis would be competing for one spot on the roster. Given their contracts, Mike Gillislee, James White and Rex Burkhead (to a slightly lesser degree) are locks to make the 53-man roster.
Based on Burkhead’s the skill set, the Patriots could carry a bell-cow back like Blount or a shiftier player like Lewis. Burkhead is a versatile player.
What does bell-cow actually mean, by the way? I throw that phrase around a lot without knowing. If I had to guess, I’d say that farmers put a bell around their most dependable cow’s neck as some sort of badge of honor.
Let’s look it up. From dictionary.com: “a cow, especially the lead cow of a herd, having a bell attached to a collar around its neck so that the herd can be located easily.”
I was mostly right, but I don’t really know what the duties are of a “lead cow.” Isn’t it weird that you see so many more cows than bulls? OK, let’s get off the topic of actual cows and back to bell-cows.
It’s still pretty crazy the Patriots gave Blount this tender. It feels like an unnecessarily ruthless move for what might just wind up garnering the Patriots an additional seventh-round compensatory pick.
Players are well aware the NFL is a business, though. How do I know? Because any time I’ve ever asked a player about a trade or a contract, the first words out of their mouth are that it’s a business.
Let’s go rapid fire.
Who is this years surprise camp cut gonna be? #MailDoug
— @lund2887
If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. I’ll help narrow it down, though. It’s not going to be Trey Flowers. It’s also not going to be Andrew Jelks, because that wouldn’t be a surprise.
will sox make playoffs?
— @bcchuck22
Yes.
Sup? #MailDoug
— @erickperdigao
It’s late, I have “Captain America: Civil War” on the TV, and I’m writing this here mailbag.
Top 5 pizza toppings? #MailDoug
— @zlehan91101
1. Bacon
2. Meatball
3. Pepperoni
4. Sausage
5. Linguica
Get a plain cheese pizza out of my face.
And if we’re ordering from Papa Gino’s, give me buffalo chicken.
The worst pizza toppings I ever saw in the wild were ham and mushroom. That mistakenly got delivered to my house by Papa John’s (don’t @ me) when I had ordered something different.
Mushrooms are not very tasty, and they’re also horrible for you, according to Brady and Alex Guerrero.
If you could add any one song to the Gillette Stadium rotation, what song and when would you have it play? #MailDoug
— @TeamCrazyMatt
In the rare occurrence that the Patriots trail at home.
Clam chowder or chicken soup?#MailDoug
— @salvaje50
Clam chowder.
Not a big soup guy.
Who looks like this year’s Zach Sudfeld Summer Stud award winner? #Patriots
— @cwarn89
I’ll tell you after the first day of OTAs open to the media. Early guess: one of the Hollister Twins.
Why are you such a legend?
— @DerekRios2150
In honor of Mother’s Day, I’ll say it’s because I have a great mom.
who’s your barber?
— @chrisnicastro
American Barber.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKrPqY6hFUU/
What did the falcons blow? #MailDoug
— @ChaseDawg2
A 25-point lead.
Cam you run for president in 2020? #MailDoug
— @based_oz
No, because I’m too young. Maybe in 2024.
1. Maybe
2. I love it. But I also like stupid things. And this counts as a stupid thing that I love.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
