1. With two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl, there's a lot that goes into game-planning for the game, and it's not unheard of for the coaches to look to other games over the course of the season for help. Last year, Bill Belichick admitted afterwards he looked to Matt Patricia and the Lions with how they defended Sean McVay and the Rams' offense in Week 13. While the Rams won the game, 30-16, Jared Goff did not have a great performance. The quarterback finished 17-for-33 with 207 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception for a QB rating of 68.6. This year, could it be Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers looking to Belichick and the Patriots with how they defended Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense? In Week 14, the Patriots limited Kansas City to 23 points, its fewest since Mahomes returned from his knee injury, and also forced two turnovers, its most since Week 6. Additionally, Belichick's gameplan in the AFC title game last year against the KC offense is something that could be used as well. Everyone knows Belichick and Shanahan have a close relationship, so it really wouldn't be a shock to hear the two spoke at some point over the last few weeks and to see some of what the 49ers do mirror what New England did.
2. Jimmy Garoppolo deserves a ton of credit with the way he handled this past week. The 49ers quarterback spoke four straight days and estimated at least half of the questions he was asked were related to Tom Brady. He easily could have became agitated, since he was actually playing in the Super Bowl, but he took them all in stride and praised the player who he learned quite a bit from during is time in New England. Garoppolo truly is one of the best people in the entire league and it was evident when he was with the Patriots.
3. As expected, this was the week of Brady with a great deal of discussion relating to his future. But, it was primarily centered around real estate and rumors he and his family are now living in Manhattan, bought property in Las Vegas and finally were visiting schools in Nashville. The reality is real estate has nothing to do with where he's playing next season. Brady is at the point in his life where he's looking to lay roots for his family. His kids are all approaching the ages where they are getting settled into schools and it seems like the family would like to settle down in the greater New York City area. Wherever Brady plays next season, he's likely renting and commuting. Therefore, do not pay much attention to real estate rumors because they don't mean all that much when it comes to Brady's next team.
4. A lot has been made of Dante Scarnecchia's retirement and connecting it to Brady's decision of potentially coming back to the Patriots, but it really doesn't have much impact at all. The quarterback really isn't spending that much time with Scarnecchia on a daily basis and he doesn't have all that much interaction with him relating to the games and gameplanning. It would be like saying Devin McCourty's free agent decision is going to be impacted by defensive line coach Bret Bielema leaving for New York. Also, don't forget the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX during the time Scarnecchia stepped away from coaching for two years.
5. Looking ahead to free agency and the draft relating to the Patriots' needs on offense, it is not a great time to be in the market for a tight end. The draft is very bad, as it doesn't look like there's one worth selecting in the first round, and then there aren't too many big names available via free agency. Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry stand out, but it likely means they will be overpaid because they will be in such high demand. That is not usually how the Patriots do business.
6. "The Great Brady Heist," which debuted on FOX Saturday night was really well done. It was interesting to get perspective on exactly what Martín Mauricio Ortega was thinking and all that he had done in the past prior to stealing Brady's Super Bowl LI jersey. It's crazy to think he took a selfie with the quarterback and then minutes later stole his jersey while being in the locker room when he wasn't even supposed to be. It's also worth noting since the incident security at Super Bowl's after the game has been much stricter than usual.
7. With the Super Bowl being Sunday, this means the end of the 2019 football season and a pretty dead period in the NFL calendar for the next several weeks. The next thing on the calendar is the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis the last week in February. The Patriots have been active already in the draft process by attending the practices in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl, so they already have a head start on the prospects.
