1. Following Tom Brady’s impressive performance Saturday, and really all season for that matter, a lot of people have been pointing out what a mistake the Patriots made allowing him to sign with Tampa Bay last offseason. In the same discussion, it should be pointed out Brady himself contributed to not returning to the Patriots for his 21st season based on his actions last season — putting his home on the market, stepping aside from Best Buddies, etc. But, even if he was still with the Patriots, would he have really made much of a difference? The offense is similar, maybe even worse than it was a year ago, so it’s hard to imagine the unit and team looking that much different with Brady under center. Sure, maybe a win or two and still being in the playoff picture, but not much more than that. Brady is playing the way he is in Tampa Bay because he actually has good weapons — reliable NFL players who can catch the ball. Would rookie tight ends Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene actually have produced with Brady as their quarterback? Probably not. Just look at last season when the Patriots got the worst tight end production in the NFL even with Brady throwing the passes. Same thing at wide receiver — would N’Keal Harry be much different? It’s unlikely. Also, think about how Brady would have reacted when Julian Edelman needed a knee procedure in late October and needed to go on injured reserve. Brady was the “most frustrated 8-0 quarterback in the history of the NFL” last year, and that was with Edelman, his most trusted receiver, in the mix. How would he have acted if the team was losing and he didn’t have his binkie? It’s easy to look at how Brady is playing with the Buccaneers and compare that to what the Patriots are getting at the quarterback position, but when it comes to wins/losses it’s hard to imagine the Patriots being all that better with Brady this year.
2. Given how the season has played out, it’s hard to not think about how this coming offseason could mirror the 2007 offseason. That was one of Bill Belichick’s most active when it comes to additions and seeing how things looked this year, it seems clear the team needs more firepower, especially on offense. That year Randy Moss and Wes Welker were added, and that is clearly a position where a No. 1 player is absolutely needed going into 2021. Some impending free agents will include: Allen Robinson, T.Y. Hilton, JuJu Smith Schuster, Chris Godwin, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. Belichick hasn’t been known to spend a lot of money at that position, but he didn’t draft a wide receiver in the first round until last year so things do change.
3. When it comes to Jarrett Stidham and the Patriots in 2021, regardless of how the last two weeks play out, he will be on the roster at the start of training camp next season. The quarterback will be in the third year of his rookie contract, so will only have a cap hit of just over $1 million. That’s great value even for a quarterback who doesn’t even see the field and is second or third-string. It does not make any sense for the organization to release him this offseason.
4. Based on what we’ve seen over the last week with Cam Newton, it appears he’s lobbying to return in 2021. It started Monday morning with his interview on The Greg Hill Show where he said he still feels like he’s on a job interview and continued later on in the day when he posted a letter to Patriot Nation on Instagram. In the letter he called the season unacceptable, but also said he wants to be part of the solution. The Patriots will have to make a decision this offseason as he will be a free agent and while he’s been a great teammate and player behind the scenes, the results just haven’t been there and it’s hard to imagine things looking that much different next year.
5. With Jedd Fisch taking the University of Arizona head-coaching job this week, Josh McDaniels will have more on his plate the final two weeks of the season. The offensive coordinator said Saturday he will assume the quarterbacks coaching duties like he has the previous seasons when he was the quarterbacks coach in addition to offensive coordinator. "I may sleep a little less here the last nine days of the season, but that's no big deal,” he said. “I’ll sleep when the season's over."
6. A lot of people are looking at the quarterback position when it comes to giving a younger player a chance to play the last two games, but it also applies at a few others, including running back. Don’t be surprised to see rookie J.J. Taylor get more reps. Last week against Miami was his first action since Week 3 and it’s worth noting James White and Rex Burkhead are free agents following the season, so the team may want to get a better idea of what Taylor is before deciding on how to proceed with those two veterans.
7. The Bills are arguably playing the best in the AFC at the moment and are a team to be reckoned with in the postseason. It’s a shame their passionate fanbase hasn’t been on full display this season, but there’s some hope there will be fans at Bills Stadium come the playoffs. "You could show up a half an hour before a football game, and get a test, and go into a game," New York governor Andrew Cuomo said recently. "We're exploring some options. The Bills proposed 6,700 fans for their upcoming playoff game. The New York State Department of Health is working on a model where fans get tested on the way in and contact traced after to see what the effect is." Let’s hope something does get worked out because Bills Mafia deserves to be featured this year and get a chance to fully enjoy what their team is doing.
