1. Dante Scanecchia's comments on Friday got us thinking. The legendary offensive line coach said he would not have returned to New England if Josh McDaniels wasn't the offensive coordinator and McDaniels will one day make someone lucky to have him as their head coach. In recent days/weeks, McDaniels' name has been mentioned when it comes to a few potential head coaching job openings. So, if Scarnecchia wouldn't have come out of retirement in 2016 after two years away from coaching unless McDaniels was the offensive coordinator wouldn't that mean if McDaniels were to leave for another team the 71-year-old would likely retire again? It doesn't end there. Wouldn't it be easy to assume 65-year-old running backs coach Ivan Fears is in the same boat? And then what about Tom Brady? If McDaniels were to depart New England for another team that would likely decrease the chances of the 42-year-old signing a new deal with the Patriots. It's likely McDaniels' replacement would not come from within, so it would essentially be starting over on offense and how would Brady feel about that? The Patriots were able to survive a mass exodus of coaches on the defensive side of the ball last year, but it's hard to imagine it being as easy on offense if it were to occur this year. McDaniels' upcoming decision certainly will impact more than just himself.
2. How detailed is cornerback Stephon Gilmore? On a conference call this week, Bill Belichick noted how Gilmore gets on practice squad wide receivers for not running the routes exactly like the Patriots opponents' for that given week. It's the little things like that that make Gilmore a favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. The Patriots cornerback will go into the final week of the regular season the odds-on favorite to win the award at almost all sports books.
3. A number of former Patriots coaches will return to Gillette Stadium for the first time Sunday in Brian Flores, Chad O'Shea, Jerry Schuplinski and Josh Boyer as they are now with the Dolphins. In "Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching," Belichick seemed to be against coaches who move on for better opportunities taking a number of people in the Patriots organization with them. "I'm happy for the people who've worked hard for me to get opportunities," Belichick said in the documentary. "I want to see them build their own program. When they try to tear down our program. That's kind of where the line, I feel gets crossed." Could that be what Flores essentially did by bringing three assistants with him to Miami? Possibly, but it's also possible some of/all of those coaches were on expiring contracts.
4. Flores has a few former Patriots players on his roster this season and that could grow even more this offseason. Miami will go into the offseason with close to $120 million in available cap space, which is the most in the entire league. The organization will have money to spend and there are a few key Patriots defensive players who are set to become free agents — Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts and Devin McCourty. Don't be surprised to see Flores and Miami make a run at all or a few of these players.
5. Julian Edelman has had an incredible season. The 33-year-old has played through a number of injuries and has carried the passing game all year. He's very close to career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He needs eight catches to tie his 105 receptions he had in 2013, just 15 yards to best his 1,106 yards in 2016 and one touchdown to tie the seven he had in 2015. It's worth noting he had a $1 million incentive in his contract for reaching 90 catches, which he's obviously already earned.
6. With the possibility of Brady either playing for another team in 2020 or retiring, it's worth looking at quarterbacks who will be free agents given it's likely the Patriots may want to have a bridge year before Jarrett Stidham takes over full-time, if they in fact do believe he's the future of the franchise. Quarterbacks who will be available this offseason include: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill.
7. If the Patriots win against the Dolphins Sunday, they will earn a first-round bye and will be off next weekend. In the past, the team has practiced two days and then are off for a few days beginning on Friday. While the Patriots won't know their opponent until after wild card weekend, the divisional round schedule (dates and times) typically comes out Sunday night during Sunday Night Football. For the first time this year, divisional round games on Sunday will be 3 and 6:30 p.m. In the past they have been 1 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday games remain at 4:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
