AFC Executive ‘Envisions’ This QB Prospect In ‘Patriots-Type’ System
The Patriots are just days away from potentially selecting their next franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It’s the expectation, really, as New England holds the No. 3 pick and is guaranteed a shot at either UNC’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels — two of the top three options in this class.
Maye and Daniels each have the potential to be long-time starters in the league, blending size, athleticism, college production and insanely talented arms to become top prospects. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best fit for the Patriots, however. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. might not be, either, but he does have what New England offenses of yesteryear might have looked for, according to one AFC executive.
“I envision him in that Patriots-type offense. I’m not saying by any means he’s Tom Brady, but one of those offenses that kind of spreads it out horizontally and he’s getting the ball out quickly,” the executive said, per a survey conducted by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. “… The best thing he does is push the ball outside the numbers, vertically down the field. I don’t think he’s great at layering the ball inside. The way he throws the ball, I can see him having success.”
If you’re wondering what “Patriots-type offense” means, it really has nothing to do with what New England will be running this upcoming season. Josh McDaniels is gone, and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is bringing in a completely different system that relies heavily on play-action.
Penix doesn’t have much experience in that realm, having played in a spread out system at Washington.
He’s probably a better fit for QB-needy teams like the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots likely are looking for high ceilings at No. 3, but maybe if they’re looking for consistency Penix is an option?
AFC Assistant Coach Thinks This Prospect ‘Perfect For’ Patriots
There’s been a divide over how NFL scouts and evaluators view Drake Maye, especially when it comes to how the North Carolina product fits with the Patriots.
New England will have its choice of quarterback after the Washington Commanders presumably take theirs at No. 2. It’s expected that Maye and J.J. McCarthy will be available at No. 3 with Jayden Daniels going second overall.
Maye largely has been the consensus pick for New England among analysts, but de facto general manager Eliot Wolf was reportedly “pushing hard” for McCarthy, which is why there is a debate over who the Patriots should select.
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Friday released his annual look at the quarterbacks in the draft through the eyes of executives, scouts and coaches, and one AFC assistant coach believed Maye should be the pick for the Patriots.
“There’s a lot of that on film: Bad pocket awareness, there’s some bad plays,” the assistant coach told Pelissero. “But he’s just a big athlete that can really throw it. To me, he’s perfect for New England (which holds the No. 3 pick) because they’ve got Jacoby (Brissett). I think he’d be perfect there to sit for a year. He is the biggest high-ceiling, low-floor guy. Because he’s immature. Not bad immature — he’s just like a kid.”
Wolf on Thursday supported the notion that Brissett can be someone a young quarterback can rely on. It also confirmed the idea that the 31-year-old is the bridge quarterback if New England takes a signal-caller with the third overall pick.
Head coach Jerod Mayo and Wolf kept the door open for a trade down, but reports indicate it would take a massive offer to force New England not to take one of the top signal-callers in the draft.
NHL Announces First-Round Schedule For Bruins-Maple Leafs
Thursday marked the end of the NHL regular season, and the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins Saturday, which will be highlighted by a primetime matchup between the Bruins and Maple Leafs.
Boston finished second in the Atlantic Division, and Toronto earned the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. This will be the 17th time the Original Six rivals face off in the postseason with the series split at 8-8. The last time the sides faced each other in the Stanley Cup playoffs was in the 2018-19 season when the B’s beat the Leafs in seven games in the first round.
Game 1 kicks off Saturday at TD Garden. NESN will carry the local broadcast with the matchup broadcasted nationally on TBS. Head coach Jim Montgomery kept his plans for the goalie rotation close to his chest after the Bruins’ regular-season finale Tuesday, but general manager Don Sweeney pointed out that there is a plan for Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Derek Forbort and Justin Brazeau are working their way back from injury, but they are not expected to suit up at the start of the seven-game series.
Here’s the full first-round schedule for the Bruins-Maple Leafs series. All games will be broadcast on NESN. The times listed are Eastern.
Game 1 at TD Garden: Saturday at 8 p.m.
Game 2: at TD Garden: Monday at 7 p.m.
Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena: Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m.
Game 5 (if necessary) at TD Garden: Tuesday, April 30, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary) at Scotiabank Arena: Thursday, May 2, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary) at TD Garden: Saturday, May 4, TBD
PWHL Boston Has Clear Goal Down Final Stretch Of Regular Season
LOWELL, Mass. — PWHL Boston returned from the three-week break for the IIHF World Women’s Championship tournament five points behind PWHL Ottawa for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Boston gained a valuable three points when they defeated PWHL Toronto, 2-1, on Thursday night at Tsongas Center, closing the gap to two points with four games remaining in the regular season. In a way, the playoffs have already started for three of the PWHL franchises — Boston, Ottawa, and New York; because they are all vying for that final spot.
“As a team, we assess what success is,” PWHL Boston coach Courtney Kessel told reporters following her team’s win. “I think at some point in your season, you’re scared to lose, right? I think we were playing like that a little bit and we were losing because you can’t play scared to lose. So, the mentality for tonight was for 60 minutes we just played to win.”
With seven PWHL Boston players and Kessel representing their countries in the IIHF World Women’s Championship, the team only had one practice after a 24-day hiatus before hosting the best team in the league.
“I really think the break is, it’s a metal reset for everyone involved,” Kessel said. “(We headed) into (the) break not doing great and I think it’s just like a refresh. It’s not over, we have five games heading into (the Toronto game). A couple of video sessions can do the trick, just as much as practice can, and sometimes even better, to get those legs rested. It was a nice reset.”
Boston forward Jamie Lee Rattray liked how her team responded coming out of the long break.
“It was a pretty hard-fought game. I think our team played with a lot of urgency,” Rattray said. “We have a big run of games here, and I’m really proud of how everyone chipped in and played the right way. I think we really showed each other that when we play that way, we can win some big games. It was a lot of fun.”
Boston will be back in action Saturday when it faces New York, which trails Boston by five points in the standings.
“Just take one game at a time and focus on our next opponent,” Rattray said. “It is playoff time for us now. Also, for us too, playing some meaningful games down the stretch and once we get in (to the playoffs) can be really useful for our group.”
Puck drop for the Boston-New York tilt from the Prudential Center is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN+.
Red Sox Pull Off Trade With Brewers To Acquire Pitching Depth
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow always seems to have an eye on pitching.
After acquiring a number of different arms this offseason, Breslow pulled off another trade Thursday night to add pitching depth to the Red Sox by acquiring Vladimir Gutierrez from the Milwaukee Brewers. Boston sent the Brewers cash considerations in exchange for the right-handed pitcher.
The Red Sox announced Gutierrez will be optioned to Triple-A Worcester while they also put Trevor Story on the 60-day injured list to make room for Gutierrez on the 40-man roster.
Gutierrez never appeared in a game with the Brewers, who designated him for assignment Wednesday. Milwaukee initially claimed Gutierrez off waivers in early April after he was let go by the Miami Marlins. Gutierrez made just one appearance in relief with the Marlins this season.
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The 28-year-old Cuba native had some flashes in the big leagues, especially as a rookie with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021. He compiled a 9-6 record over 22 starts that year while he posted a 4.74 ERA.
But Gutierrez has looked to replicate those results ever since. He struggled mightily with the Reds in 2022, going 1-6 with a bloated 7.61 ERA across 10 appearances, eight of which were starts. That season came to an early conclusion for Gutierrez, who had Tommy John surgery and didn’t pitch in the majors in 2023.
The Red Sox do have a couple of holes in their starting rotation at the moment with Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock down with injuries. Boston went with an opener in its loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday.
Trading for Gutierrez wasn’t the only roster move the Red Sox made Thursday. The Red Sox reportedly will call up a left-handed reliever to replace Joe Jacques in the bullpen.
Three Big Reasons Why Celtics Will Come Up Short Of NBA Title
It’s time to rain on the parade for Boston Celtics fans before the postseason even begins.
Speaking of parades, don’t expect the Celtics to host one in the streets of Boston this summer.
The Celtics put together a dominant regular season and are the prohibitive favorite to win the NBA Finals. They have pretty much everything going for them, too. Boston has a stacked roster with plenty of star power and a supporting cast that nicely fills in the gaps. The path to the Finals in the Eastern Conference is cleared out for them as well with perhaps their biggest opposition dealing with an injury to its star player.
The Celtics should win the NBA title, and while it seems like a foregone conclusion that they will, in reality, it isn’t. There are still plenty of things that could go wrong for the Celtics in the playoffs.
And here are three big reasons why the Celtics will fail in their pursuit of Banner 18:
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Late-game ineptitude
Boston’s execution at the end of games leaves much to be desired. Does anyone fully trust Jayson Tatum or Joe Mazzulla to make the right decisions in the final seconds?
The Celtics had issues late in games during the regular season with the offense going stagnate and Tatum just dribbling the ball into the floor. Boston, which went 13-11 in games decided by six points or less this season, seems to get away from its spectacular ball movement and focus heavily on isolations, a problem that is common throughout the NBA.
Tatum hasn’t had much success in those moments, either. It feels like he hasn’t hit a game-winning shot since converting a layup at the buzzer a couple of postseasons ago against the Brooklyn Nets. He’s had plenty of opportunities since then, too, that have only clanged off the rim.
The pressure will ramp up exponentiality at the end of games in the playoffs. Execution needs to be almost perfect during these nail-biting finishes, and the Celtics have shown they get too sped up and often crack under this sort of pressure.
Turnover bug
Turnovers have derailed the Celtics in each of their last two playoff runs, and they bite Boston at the worst time. Jaylen Brown had eight turnovers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last year, and the Celtics committed 23 turnovers when the Golden State Warriors closed out the Finals on the parquet floor in 2022.
The turnovers are part of the reason the Celtics have been 11-12 on their home court the last two postseasons.
Brown and Tatum certainly are the biggest culprits. Brown, who has dealt with a hand injury this season, had a team-high 3.3 turnovers per game during the playoffs last year while Tatum became the first player in NBA history with 100 turnovers in a single postseason in 2022.
Opposing defenses have the blueprint on how to defend Brown and Tatum: get up on them and make their lives miserable. They both have shown some improvement with their ball-handling — the star duo both trimmed down their turnovers per game this season — but not enough, especially with NBA rules opening up to allow defenders to be more physical.
The Celtics often want to put the ball in the hands of Brown and Tatum, and rightfully so. They are the team’s two best players who can score in a variety of ways. But if they haven’t completely fixed their ball-handling issues then there will be problems for the Celtics.
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NBA’s biggest star shines the brightest
Sometimes there’s nothing a team can do but tip its cap to the best player on the court. That’s a scenario that could play out if the Celtics see the Denver Nuggets in the Finals.
Nikola Jokic is at another level than Tatum and Brown. The Celtics have absolutely no answer for the two-time MVP, who ate up Kristaps Porzingis near the rim with a beautiful array of post moves in the two regular-season meetings. By the way, are we sure Porzingis can even make it through the grind of the postseason fully healthy? It’s scary to think of Al Horford or even Luke Kornet having to try to guard Jokic.
Jokic averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 60.1% from the field in Denver’s two wins over the Celtics. He’ll probably do the same in the Finals.
There’s no one quite like Jokic. He’s a sensational individual talent who uplifts those around him. He has championship mettle, too. Trying to beat him when he knows what it takes to win a title is an incredibly tall task, even with a team as talented as Boston. So, good luck with that Celtics.
PWHL Boston Wrap: Boston Defeats Toronto In Regular-Season Series Finale
LOWELL, Mass. — PWHL Boston returned to action on Thursday night after an over three-week break for the IIHF World Women’s Championship tournament, defeating PWHL Toronto, 2-1, at Tsongas Center.
With the win, Boston improved to 9-9-2 while Toronto dropped to 13-7-0 in the PWHL inaugural season.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston entered the game five points behind Ottawa for the fourth and final playoff spot with just as many games remaining in the regular season.
Even after the international break, Boston took control of the game by holding Toronto to just one shot in the first nine minutes of the opening frame. At the end of the first, Boston outshot Toronto, 9-7, and led in hits, 11-8.
Boston took the 2-0 lead in the second period on goals from Emily Brown and Susanna Tapani. Toronto got one goal back midway through the final period when Renata Fast tallied her third goal of the season past Boston netminder Aerin Frankel.
Frankel finished the night with 23 saves on 24 Toronto shots for her sixth win of the season.
Boston lost the regular season series to Toronto 2-3-0-0.
STARS OF THE GAME
–Brown tallied her first goal of the season to open up the scoring, giving Boston the 1-0 lead with 5:32 remaining in the second period.
–Tapani gave Boston the 2-0 lead when she recorded her fourth goal of the season. The Boston forward won the offensive zone faceoff back to Jess Healey, who skated along the blueline before putting the puck on net. Tapani tipped the puck past Toronto goalie Kristen Campbell.
— Fast scored the lone goal for league-leading Toronto in the third period to break up the shutout for Frankel.
UP NEXT
Boston heads to the Big Apple to take on New York on Saturday. Puck drop from the Prudential Center is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN+.
PWHL Boston Celebrates ‘Everyone Is Welcome’ With Pride Night
LOWELL, Mass. — PWHL Boston got back to work Thursday, hosting PWHL Toronto at the Tsongas Center in the club’s first game following the IIHF World Women’s Championship.
Boston celebrated their return to the ice by hosting Pride Night, highlighted by an auction for a custom jacket worn by forward Jamie Lee Rattray to raise money for Sport A Rainbow.
Along with auction, the PWHL created special Pride shirts and sweatshirts for the Boston franchise and the hockey club gave out Pride Flags to first 500 fans in attendance.
The PWHL Boston players know how important the initiative is to the LGBTQ+ community and are proud to help ensure hockey is for everyone.
“I think it’s just a really good showing for inclusivity within our league,” PWHL Boston forward Sophie Shirley said before puck drop. “It’s important for everybody to be able to be who they are, especially in this environment to be able to come and play hockey and be exactly who you are.”
Boston director of business operations Marley McMillan said it was fun to be hosting Pride Night.
“It’s really just exciting to be celebrating the fact that everyone is welcome in hockey and in our building and within our organization and broader within sports,” McMillan said. “Excited to have some special things going on at the game tonight and spreading awareness that everyone’s welcome within hockey and beyond.”
The message from Boston forward Taylor Wenczkowski was simple and to the point.
“It’s a great way to show the community how inclusive hockey is and that hockey truly is for everyone.”
Boston is currently battling for one of the league’s four playoff spots. With 22 points, Boston trails Ottawa in the standings for the fourth and final spot by five points. Boston can close the gap by securing a regulation win against Toronto on Thursday.
Patriots Still In Waiting Game After Comments From Commanders GM
The New England Patriots have to wait for the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders before being on the clock at No. 3 overall at next week’s NFL draft.
The worst kept secret of the draft is the Bears will use the top pick on USC quarterback Caleb Williams. What happens after that is anybody’s guess.
The Commanders, like the Bears and Patriots, are in need of a quarterback and have been linked to nearly every major prospect at that position. And Commanders general manager Adam Peters continued to keep things close to his chest when he met with reporters Thursday.
“We’re real close… still a few more things in the process…” Peters told reporters Thursday, per ESPN’s John Keim. “We don’t need to make a decision until we need to make a decision; there’s no rush with that. We’ll probably have a good idea what we’re doing early next week.”
The Commanders will probably decide between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye after Williams goes off the board. There is a split decision among NFL insiders on which signal-caller the Commanders prefer with the second overall pick.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes Washington will use the selection to draft Daniels while NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah believes Maye is a good fit for what Peters wants out of a quarterback.
Washington certainly is trying to do its best not to tip its hand. The Commanders hosted Daniels and Maye, along with Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., all together for visits earlier this week.
It’s obviously unclear exactly what the Commanders will do once they’re on the clock. But whatever they end up doing, it will directly impact the Patriots.
Red Sox Reportedly Call Up Pitcher Who Has Been Lights Out In Triple-A
Cam Booser has spent eight years in minor league baseball without ever getting the chance to throw a pitch in the big leagues.
That’s about to change for the 31-year-old left-hander.
The Red Sox are calling up the left-handed reliever from Triple-A Worcester for the start of Friday’s road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Booser reportedly will take the place of Joe Jacques, who will be optioned to Worcester, on the active roster.
Booser is off to a stellar start with Worcester, registering plenty of swings and misses. The lefty is 2-0 out of the bullpen with a 2.70 ERA and 0.60 WHIP, along with an eye-popping 15 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. He’s also holding opponents to a .130 batting average.
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That production from Booser is vastly different than what he showed with Worcester last season when he owned a 4.99 ERA with one save and four holds in 48 appearances.
Booser even caught the eye of Red Sox manager Alex Cora in spring training.
“He’s been great, man,” Cora told reporters in mid-March. “He throws 97, 98. Sometimes he hits 99. And he’s been able to land the off-speed pitches for strikes. He’s been really good. He had a great second half last year. Talking to (Worcester Red Sox manager) Chad Tracy, something clicked there that got him in the strike zone. And he’s been doing the same thing here in spring training.”
It certainly hasn’t been a straight path to the majors for Booser. He spent five seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization before retiring in November 2017 after dealing with several significant injuries.
With baseball in the rear-view, Booser got a job as a carpenter in Seattle but worked his way back onto a diamond and played Independent League baseball in 2021. That opened the door to a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks the following year before signing a minor league deal with the Red Sox in February 2023.
And with the Red Sox using five relievers in their series finale against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, there’s a good chance Booser will find himself on a big-league mound for the first time in his career this weekend.
Why Red Sox Especially Need Jarren Duran’s Offensive Spark
BOSTON — Jarren Duran took his first consistent steps to changing the top of the lineup for the Boston Red Sox last season.
His game-changing speed sparked the Red Sox and pressured the opposition for 102 games before a season-ending toe injury at Yankee Stadium. That set the stage for Duran to show that he can do it for a full campaign in 2024. He’s off to a good start in doing just that.
The speedy outfielder leads the American League with seven stolen bases and woke up the Boston offense Thursday. The Red Sox scored a first-inning run off of Cleveland Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco, then struggled to put anything together for the next four innings.
Reese McGuire and Ceddanne Rafaela reached base with two-out singles ahead of Duran in the sixth inning with the Red Sox facing a 5-1 deficit. The Boston leadoff hitter laced a ball that rolled to the triangle in right-center field for a triple that scored both runners. Duran later scored on a balk, cutting the deficit to one in the blink of an eye.
The Red Sox could not complete the comeback in a 5-4 loss to the Guardians.
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“Momentum can shift, but it can also shift out of your way,” Duran told reporters at Fenway Park after Thursday’s loss.
The loss dropped the Red Sox to 10-10 through the first 20 games of the season. The road ahead only gets harder without offensive presences in Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill, who account for most of Boston’s power, as they work through injuries. Trevor Story is out for the season and Triston Casas needs runners to drive in.
Duran already meant enough to the Red Sox lineup. Without their heavy hitters, playing a dynamic style and relying on young athleticism will have to do. It’s up to Duran to lead that group ahead through his play.
“We can’t look at it like that,” Duran added. “We’ve gotta get each other’s back and keep moving forward. I know we’re missing some big guys, but we’ve got a lot of dogs in here that want to go out there and play their best. That’s what we’re gonna do.”
The Red Sox were undefeated in games where Duran records a hit and a stolen base prior to Thursday’s loss. There’s no player on the roster that can impact the offense, which has lacked consistency, like Duran can.
To stay on track heading into May and rise above the countless injuries, the Red Sox have to embrace Duran’s dynamic ability.
Eliot Wolf Can Say Right Things, But Believing Them Would Be Concern
FOXBORO, Mass. — Eliot Wolf said all the right things when he held a pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday.
The Patriots de facto general manager kept all options open for New England in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Patriots, Wolf said, could trade up, trade back or stay put at third overall. New England could draft a quarterback at No. 3, and Wolf believes the top QB prospects are worthy of that pick. But the Patriots also could pass on a first-round signal-caller all together. Wolf said he doesn’t think the quarterback position is the only position that could be jotted down on New England’s draft card April 25.
Wolf kept his draft competition guessing, not tipping his hand a week before the draft.
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Wolf also spoke glowingly about New England’s offense, from the offensive line to the group of play-makers the Patriots have.
“We have NFL receivers, we have NFL tight ends, we have NFL running backs, we have NFL offensive linemen,” Wolf said.
Wolf even said he thought others outside the organization were underestimating the roster. To prove his point, he mentioned how the Patriots re-signed offensive tackle Mike Onwenu, tight end Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne — all players were on one of the league’s worst offenses in 2023. Wolf said the signings of external free agents like Chukwuma Okorafor, who would start at left tackle if the season started this week (it doesn’t), and wide receiver K.J. Osborn, helped supplement the roster entering the draft.
“We feel good about where we are and we feel through free agency, on the offensive side in particular, that we’ve been able to supplement our roster properly, so we’re not having to draft for need as much offensively,” he said.
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That’s fine to say publicly, too.
After all, what’s his other option? He announces the Patriots will take whatever quarterback is there at No. 3? He rejects the notion New England could trade back? He agrees the Patriots’ roster is not good enough to drop a developmental quarterback into?
That was never going to happen.
Neither was Wolf undressing the players on New England’s current roster, or criticizing the team’s lack of a game-changing wide receiver and lack of a franchise left tackle. Wolf is right about the Patriots having NFL receivers, tight ends, running backs and offensive linemen. But what kind of bar is that to set?
There’s a real chance the Patriots improve their most dire needs in the NFL draft, but only if Wolf views those needs as dire.
So, again, it’s fine for Wolf to say it all publicly. But if he truly believes it, if he truly believes the Patriots would be fine going a different direction than quarterback at No. 3, or if he truly believes the team would be fine with its veteran question mark at left tackle, that would be much more concerning.
Don Sweeney Outlines Bruins’ Needs To Be Successful Vs. Maple Leafs
The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have a deep-rooted history in the postseason.
The two Original Six franchises have split the 16 times they’ve battled in the Stanley Cup playoffs and will meet again this season in the first round.
Even though the Bruins swept the four-game regular-season series against the Maple Leafs, Boston general manager Don Sweeney knows the postseason is a clean slate for both teams.
“Offensively, they’re a gifted hockey club,” Sweeney told reporters following Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday, per the team. “They present a lot of challenges down around the net front area, and we’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are, so I expect it to be a tight series overall.”
Special teams will certainly factor into the series. Toronto’s power play ranks seventh in the league at 23.9%, but their penalty kill is 23rd out of 32 teams at 76.9%. Boston’s power play has struggled as of late, tallying just three goals on its last 27 opportunities. The Bruins’ penalty kill is once again a strong area for the club at 82.5%.
“Obviously, their power play is really good, our penalty killing has been pretty consistent throughout the year, our power play needs to come back online here,” Sweeney said. “Fortunately, we scored a goal the other night to hopefully give the guys a little bit of confidence. It’s going to be a really good challenge on all levels. A good hockey club, a good opponent. If you’ve made it to the playoffs, you’ve earned a right here, and Toronto will present a really good challenge.”
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The Bruins have become known as a team that battles for inside ice and a net-front presence throughout their 100 years in the NHL, and as the years have gone by, it’s become more difficult to attain.
“I would say there’s probably less cross-checking and stuff that you’ll get away with in this day and age,” Sweeney said. “It’s still there, but I think the league has more movement in the offensive zone to incorporate offense as a five-man unit. Guys will come in and out of that space as opposed to just parking themselves there and working the back of the net and such. I just think there’s so much more movement…adaptation of systems that teams play also probably predicate more movement.
“In every different lineup, there’s defensemen that sometimes look like forwards at times, going into space and such. I think the movement part of it has certainly adapted at the league-wide level, but inside ice is earned, and it gets tighter and tighter as the playoffs go along.”
Establishing inside ice and having a net-front presence is a focal point for the Bruins, not just in the postseason but also throughout the 82-game regular season.
“Oh it was absolutely talked about,” Sweeney said. “…An establishment in terms of knowing that you’re going up against guys that… you’re just going to have to win that battle. That ice has to be yours. I don’t think that’s ever changed. It still comes down to one-on-one battles and confrontational hockey. In the playoffs, you realize that — in the first round in particular — physicality probably triples. Ice is earned, interior ice is earned because it’s valued.”
The Bruins will host the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN, following an hour of pregame coverage.
Red Sox Outfielder Tyler O’Neill Opens Up About Serious Injury
Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill has dealt with injuries more than he’s wanted to in the past.
But the injury O’Neill sustained Monday when he collided in the outfield with Rafael Devers was unlike any other in his career.
O’Neill confirmed following Boston’s 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday that he suffered a concussion on the play and that brought on a series of issues the 28-year-old dealt with in his recovery.
“I’ve had a lot of dizziness. Still fighting through that a little bit,” O’Neill told reporters. “A lot of fogginess first couple of days. Slow to think. It took me a little bit to recover from that. But feeling better now. So, feel like I’m on the right path. Just working through the last stages of lightheadedness and just a little bit more fatigue than I’m used to. But I’m thinking better now and feel like I’m on the right track.”
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O’Neill has stayed away from baseball activities in recent days but got on an exercise bike with Red Sox training staff monitoring to see how he responded to that physical activity. O’Neill said he will travel with the Red Sox on their upcoming six-game road trip, which starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, and hopes to ramp things up.
The Red Sox placed O’Neill on the 7-day injured list Thursday with a retroactive date of April 16. That means O’Neill, who was Boston’s hottest hitter with a .313 batting average and seven home runs, could return at the earliest by next Tuesday.
And O’Neill certainly thinks coming back by then is well within reason.
“That’s the goal for me, for sure,” O’Neill said. “I want to be ready. I want to be back out there in uniform with these guys. I want to play with these guys. There’s nothing worse than being sidelined in this sport and I’ve had my fair share unfortunately, but I got to get healthy first. I’ve never had a concussion or anything like this before, so it’s all new to me, learning as I go. I’m just trying to manage the symptoms as best I can.”
Red Sox’s Rafael Devers Taking Time With Bone Bruise On Knee
BOSTON — Rafael Devers isn’t used to a string of injuries like this during his career with the Boston Red Sox.
Devers started the season bouncing in and out of the lineup with a nagging shoulder injury. After that went away, the Red Sox third baseman left Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians with a knee injury.
Alex Cora told reporters Thursday morning that Devers would have an MRI, which he revealed postgame showed a bone bruise. That should be somewhat relieving for Boston compared to any structural damage.
“Hopefully he feels better tomorrow,” Cora said. “We have an idea of what it is. I don’t know where we’re at for him tomorrow.”
The injuries have been affecting Devers’ swing to varying degrees, though the need to miss time for the Red Sox remains up in the air.
“I don’t know yet,” Devers told reporters through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez about a possible IL stint. “The thing that I know is I don’t want to go back too soon and go back to that pain. I’m going to take my time be ready.”
For now, the Red Sox lucked out on another potentially major injury update, though the ongoing issues remain frustrating for Devers.
“It’s good, but at the same time it’s disappointing that I’ve been having to deal with all these injuries when I’ve never done it before in my career,” Devers said. “Obviously, it was good that it’s nothing major.”
Boston hopes to get their star slugger back when they travel to Pittsburgh for a weekend series against the Pirates.
Red Sox Notes: Boston Still ‘Not Making Plays’ Defensively
BOSTON — The Red Sox found themselves giving a team extra outs again on Thursday in a 5-4 loss to drop the four-game series to the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park.
Boston committed two more errors in a game where the pitching staff allowed just two earned runs. The issue spans most of the season, though the Red Sox particularly felt the impact at home.
“It’s hard,” Alex Cora told reporters after the loss. “It sounds repetitive when we say it’s full of (expletive). We need to play better defense. That’s the bottom line. There were two routine plays we didn’t make. We didn’t turn the double play. We lose by one. Gotta keep going.”
Cora acknowledged that injuries have forced a shuffle of positions over the stretch of declining defensive play. Losing a Gold-Glove caliber shortstop in Trevor Story obviously started this significant trend. This week’s injuries to Tyler O’Neill and Rafael Devers have only added to the difficulty of how the Red Sox align defensively.
While temporary fixes on a day-to-day basis such as giving Ceddanne Rafaela time at shortstop can patch together a performance, the Red Sox must find consistency with the gloves to break free from the back-and-forth 10-10 start to 2024.
“They’re good defenders,” Cora said. “We’re not making plays right now.”
The Red Sox have committed 20 errors and allowed 24 unearned runs through 20 games, leading the sport in both categories.
Here’s more notes from Thursday’s Guardians-Red Sox game:
— Boston played without Tyler O’Neill, who was placed on the 7-day IL prior to Thursday’s game.
— The Red Sox went 3-7 on their first and longest homestand of the 2024 season.
— Justin Slaten impressed again for Boston, tossing two scoreless frames. It marked his fourth scoreless appearance of at least two or more innings this season.
— Brennan Bernardino did his job with two shutout innings as the opener. Bernardino posted a 2.00 ERA in six appearances as an opener last season for Boston.
— Jarren Duran jumped into the American League lead with seven stolen bases.
— The Red Sox hit the road, beginning with a three-game set in Pittsburgh against the Pirates on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Matthew Judon Hilariously Fuels A.J. Brown-Patriots Social Media Chatter
New England Patriots star edge rusher Matthew Judon is an expert when it comes to trolling on the social media streets. And Judon offered another glimpse of that talent Thursday afternoon when Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown started to trend on social media.
Brown was the topic of conversation after he changed his profile picture on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, to legendary quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is wearing a Patriots jersey in the photo that remains Brown’s profile picture.
It unsurprisingly prompted baseless chatter among social media strangers. Some even took it to mean Brown might be angling for a trade to the Patriots, which is not the case.
Brown took to X shortly after and said he changed his profile picture because of his admiration for Brady and motivation for next season. He poured cold water on the trade-to-New England smoke.
Well, that didn’t stop Judon from adding a little fuel of his own.
Judon posted to his Instagram story with a photo of Brown and wrote: “Yall just got off the phone with AJ he booking the (flight) right now.”
Judon is well-known for his social media tactics. He’s been the most vocal Patriots player when it comes to reaching out to free agents as a way of recruiting, though he hasn’t exactly been successful.
It’s fair to assume that success won’t soon start with Brown.
How Injured Bruins Defenseman Surprised Don Sweeney
There’s a chance that Derek Forbort could make his way back from injury and return to the Boston Bruins during their playoff run.
It certainly wasn’t what Bruins general manager Don Sweeney expected for the veteran defenseman.
Sweeney believed Forbort’s season was “more than likely” over a month ago as the 32-year-old underwent surgery on what Sweeney called “two significant injuries.” Forbort was placed on long-term injured reserve in early March.
“Yeah, that’s a wait and see. I mean, Derek has made great strides, and a little bit surprisingly, to tell you the truth,” Sweeney told reporters Thursday, per team-provided transcript. “He was on an operating table not too long ago for two different situations. So, good on him and good on the training staff.”
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Forbort reported to Boston’s AHL affiliate earlier this week on an LTI conditioning loan. That will give Forbort, who played in 35 games for the Bruins this season and logged four assists to go along with a plus-8 rating, time to continue his recovery and get into playing shape.
While Forbort certainly is headed in the right direction, there’s no target date established for him to rejoin the Bruins.
“We still have an undetermined timeline in terms of how he’s going to continue to progress,” Sweeney said. “But it’s certainly a positive sign that he’s made the progress that he has, and credit to Derek to tell you the truth… because he could have just arguably shut things down completely.
“But he wants to play, he’s a gamer and wants to play. He wants to see whether or not the healing process can continue, and if he becomes a factor at some point in time during the playoffs.”
The Bruins open up the Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday night against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN.
Eliot Wolf Name-Drops Patriots’ Potential Starter At Left Tackle
All eyes are on what the Patriots will do with the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft next Thursday, but when New England de facto general manager Eliot Wolf spoke with reporters, he also addressed the state of the roster.
Even though the Patriots need a new franchise quarterback, Wolf believes the offensive line is not in dire straights, as many would think.
“We have a solid offensive line,” Wolf told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Thursday during the Patriots pre-draft press conference. “We re-signed Mike Onwenu, we have David Andrews coming back. We have three rookies we drafted last year that are developing. We signed (Chukwuma) Okorafor from the Steelers.”
The de facto general manager even mentioned who he envisioned as the Patriots’ starting left tackle.
“I think if the season started today, which I get on the guys about using that phrase because that can sometimes lead to bad decisions,” Wolf said. “If the season started tomorrow, I think it would be Okorafor. But that is probably more of a question for coach (Jerod) Mayo.”
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Even though Okorafor played on the right side for the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, Wolf is confident the Western Michigan product can be successful with New England.
“He played there in college,” Wolf explained. “So we went back and watched that film, obviously evaluating him when he was coming out. And he’s an athletic, big guy. So, we feel like he can make that transition back to playing the left.”
Wolf added the Patriots feel they have a “solid foundation” in place with new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt at the helm and feels the offensive would be able to support a rookie quarterback.
A.J. Brown Speaks Out After Social Media Change Relevant To Patriots Fans
It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for A.J. Brown, but that all changed Thursday after the Philadelphia Eagles wideout made a few tweaks to his social media profiles.
Brown changed his profile pictures on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, to a photo of New England Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady. Given how things work on the internet, it should come as no surprise that Brown’s tweak sparked conversation among social media strangers.
So much so that Brown felt the need to address the profile change in a separate post.
“TB12 is my favorite player ever,” Brown posted on X on Thursday afternoon. “I watch the dynasty and it brought back some memories from my childhood. Go look up what he did in 2015 when he was doubted/disrespected. Yeah I see the disrespect. Motivated … yes. That’s it.
“I did not think changing my pfp (profile picture) to the greatest ever would cause controversy. Take Care.”
Shortly after Brown’s profile picture was changed to Brady, a social media user by the name of “Sports Fellow” went through the accounts Brown follows and uncovered Brown recently followed Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett and wide receiver K.J. Osborn.
It surely only fueled the fire of Patriots fans, and football fans in general.
Now, obviously, none of Brown’s social media activity will have any tangible benefit for the Patriots. It’s not like Brown requested a trade or anything along those lines.
But if Brown really was surprised to see the reaction on social media, he’s clearly not in-tune to how the internet works these days. Fair or not.