Thinking out loud…while wondering if Linda Holliday secretly had anything to do with the Patriots' sudden urge to go shopping…
· This most assuredly was NOT just another Manic Monday, with all due respect to The Bangles.
· But think about this – do we have TB12 to thank for BB's massive spending spree as the free agency period began in the NFL?
· Where did Bill Belichick run off to, and when did the Patriots hire Warren Buffet to run their football operations?
· TB12, you mad now, bro?
· Probably not. And probably a bit of the opposite. TB12's success in winning the Super Bowl, in his FIRST year away from the team, had to have fueled BB's off-season fire.
· That, and his own, less-than-stellar 7-9 crawl to the 2020 Covid-encrusted finish line.
· When Brett Favre left Green Bay, he later got to an NFC title game with Minnesota but didn't win. When Joe Montana left San Francisco, he got to an AFC title game with Kansas City but didn't win.
· This legendary QB, the GOAT, not only jilted us all in New England, but he had the audacity to win it all in his first season elsewhere. The gall.
· If you are a competitor, which BB certainly is, that did not sit or play well. And he's had 12 months to stew about it.
· Monday and Tuesday this week was merely the expulsion of pent-up frustration – fueled by a desire to remind us of what he's always done. Win.
· But win now, rather than rebuild to win later. Hence, the week that just passed.
· Only this time around, it's all on him as an evaluator and coach. No TB12 to bail him out…as we were used to watching.
· The key question of course is – will these investments pay off? History will ultimately tell us this, but for now? We're blinded by the unmitigated speed of the transaction wire this week.
· It started innocently enough with Marcus Cannon being traded to Houston.
· But the whirlwind of comings and goings…plus the spending…made the Patriots' entrance at One Patriot Place in Foxboro appear more like the revolving front door to Macy's on Times Square.
· I mean, we've never seen the likes of this, have we? $273 million – and counting – on free agents in a two-day span? And potentially they're still not done?
· Be still, my pounding heart. But now, there's only one thing left to do.
· Or two things, really. Just win, baby…and find another QB, puhleeze?
· Move I like the most = Matt Judon. Pass rusher supreme, and capable of covering. The Patriots' apparent contracts to each free agent are fair, but Judon is the guy that may help put the "D" back in the defense next season with a successful year…and with the second- biggest contract they've ever given to a free agent.
· He's young, at 28. Dynamic. Chip on his shoulder coming from Division II, and an ACL tear. He was franchised tagged last year by the Ravens, and he's expendable this year?
· He could be a bargain.
· Move I like the least = None of them. Ok, get off the fence. Nelson Agholor. Too many drops for my liking. Let's see if he can become an acquired taste.
· Oh, and those two tight ends coming in when you thought you might be lucky to get just one of them? That's a fleecing. Can't wait to see the 12-personnel lineups on the field with the expressed intent to pound the ball right at people.
· Love me some old school football. Should be an indicator of what kind of QB might be needed to run this show.
· But it might help if the backs, tight ends and receivers practice how to catch passes at their ankles. Just sayin'.
· Would it surprise anyone to find out that TB12 was just hanging around long enough to pass Drew Brees' yardage records now that he's retired?
· And before you plug the Patriots back into the postseason mix for 2021…consider the following:
· Tweet of the Week I, from @FieldYates: "The Bills now have 19 of their 22 starters from the AFC Championship game under contract for at least 2021…one of the NFL's best rosters stays intact."
· Love rivalry. And another roster is now taking shape to the east with a makeover that would make Max Factor blush.
· David Andrews' return is a huuuuge bonus. I'd go to war with that offensive line. It could be special, if it stays healthy…and it also has proven depth.
· Sorry to see Adam Butler gone. But hey, you can't sign 'em all. Can you?
· As for Patrick Chung's retirement, he was as tuff as they come. Remember him coming back to the sideline after breaking his arm in SB 53…to celebrate? He once told The Athletic's Jeff Howe "if I can walk, I can play."
· And the new $10 billion per year media deal the NFL has through 2033? The salary cap is gonna get big(ger). The 17th game is coming. And a lot will stay the same, too, except for the way you'll see out-of-market games.
· Streaming, my man. Streaming. Give up the flip. Learn how to use that smartphone.
· As we intimated here earlier, it isn't surprising Nate Watson decided to return for a 5th year of eligibility in Friartown. In fact, you might say he's doing his coach a solid here, no?
· One thing I love about Nate – his unbridled joy at being a college student. He loves the whole enchilada – college, school, playing, his teammates – all of it. It's fun watching a young man play with that kind of enthusiasm for life.
· Now, think we could get Nate to rub a little of that joy off on his roomie, Noah Horchler…or perhaps David Duke?
· Both Nate and David were named to the USBWA District I first-team, comprised of New England players. Bryant's Peter Kiss and URI's Fatts Russell were also on the squad, and the coach was Bryant's Jared Grasso – most deserving.
· And ICYMI, the Bulldogs aren't finished playing. CBI, hello?
· Show of hands? How many are surprised on the transfers of Greg Gantt and Kris Monroe at PC?
· This is not meant to disparage those young men in any way. Rather, to show that expectations don't always meet with reality. Gantt's time on campus included the death of his mother, followed by a global pandemic. Pretty mean one-two punch.
· Life just ain't fair. Second chances can help make up for some of that.
· Rhody's Russell making himself available as a grad transfer qualified as a 'wow' for me this week. He gave his all for the Rams over four years and said via Instagram he wants to consider all options, including turning pro. But no consideration toward returning to Kingston?
· Cumberland's Tyler Kolek, who we mentioned last week as the Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year at George Mason, has also entered the transfer portal. He also said he could return to GM.
· UMass also is losing the services of one of the best post players – certainly one of the most underrated – in the country in all-Atlantic 10 talent Tre Mitchell. That ought to be some bidding war to determine his next stop.
· Big East Comings and Goings: St. John's is losing Vince Cole and Isaih Moore to the transfer portal, but sharp-shooter Nate Johnson will return to Xavier. Butler freshman guard Myles Tate tore his left ACL against Creighton in New York. Marquette assistant coach Dwayne Killings is headed to Albany as their new head coach.
- Not surprised on the late news of Marquette parting ways with Steve Wojciechkowski. He was not the warm-and-fuzzy type for most alumni. And if you can't placate them with wins, well…
· Little surprise that DePaul finally parted ways with New Bedford's Dave Leitao, as had been rumored. But anything short of a splashy Porter Moser (Loyola Chicago) hire for new AD DeWayne Peevy will be scrutinized…and disappointing.
· Other names heard for the Blue Demons? Current assistant and ex-USF head coach Orlando Antigua (at Illinois) and Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates (a Chicago native) are getting some run.
· Thought Boston College missed the boat with the selection of Earl Grant from the College of Charleston as their new coach. I'll give him the ACC pedigree (he once assisted at Clemson), but shouldn't someone new at least have a clue about reality at the Heights?
· Grant did say that Al Skinner is "like a mentor to me." That's good. Skinner's still p*ssed (as are others) BC let him go – not sure there will be too much lovin' up the Eagles here, if you know what I mean…
· As the NCAA Tournament unfolds, saw this Tweet from my one-time ESPN Radio partner, Doug Gottlieb: "Dan Gavitt is awesome at his job."
· I could'a told him that. So awesome, in fact, that we are fortunate to even have a tournament in the first place. Can you imagine the logistical work put in to make this happen?
· The NCAA is rightfully criticized for a lot. But not for planning to pull this off and give us March Madness again.
· ICYMI, there are at least a couple of locals with dance tickets – Portsmouth's Cole Swider (with Villanova) and South Kingstown's Keegan Records (Colgate) are representin' Rhody. Nova's Jermaine Samuels is from nearby Franklin, MA.
· Do you count Rick Pitino as representin', too? Unbelievable, really, that he and Iona reached the tournament…and both Louisville and Kentucky missed out.
· Can't help but feel we all missed out at least a little bit, with the Dunkin Donuts Center having originally been tagged for 1st and 2nd round tourney games. Take two on this front, in another four years.
· The conditions for the teams and officials are spartan, from most reports. Isolation is being taken seriously. Especially now…with those six referees missing out on calling tourney games because they decided to take off for a restaurant before their hotel rooms were ready…and one of them tested positive.
· Big East officials John Gaffney, Ray Natili, Roger Ayers and ex-Big East ref Ted "TV" Valentine were part of the contact tracing – and the dinner party – that got flagged. Hope the meal they had was worth it.
· And UConn's Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma will miss out on at least the first two games of the women's tournament, because he tested positive…even after having his second vaccination.
· Is the Big East banner being carried by the surprising tourney champ, Georgetown? You can make the argument they're riding a hot streak as well as anyone in the country. And a tip o' the cap to my friend Rich Chvotkin, the Voice of the Hoyas, completing Season #47. Whoa.
· Not for nuthin', but Patrick Ewing can coach. He certainly could play in his day, but that hasn't always translated into coaching 'em up, too. He was my pick for Big East Coach of the Year, with due respect to St. John's Mike Anderson.
· I mean, picked worst – finished first. That had never happened before in the 42-year history of the Big East. C'mon, man.
· I couldn't pick against them…but it would not shock me to see UConn, Nova, or Creighton make early exits. Especially Villanova, with the Wildcats literally on their last legs due to key injuries.
· Tweet of the Week II, from @JWCyclonesTV: "Tru TV is like a snow blower. 360 days a year you don't care if you have it or not. Then…"
· St. John's, Seton Hall and Xavier all nixed the NIT. Had it remained in New York, rather than move to North Texas, it's quite possible even with the stress and strain of playing and staying healthy in the pandemic, the city schools would have stuck around. For what it's worth.
· Ex-Friar grad assistant Richard Pitino knows how to bounce back almost as well as his Dad has. He was fired at Minnesota this week, then hired at New Mexico two days later to be the Lobos new head coach.
· Friar-killer Archie Miller (I came up with that from his Dayton and Indiana days – patent pending) was fired from the Hoosiers' program this week, too. Talk about your tough jobs – IU hasn't been the same since Bob Knight went ballistic after being classlessly addressed as "Hey Knight!" by some squirrely college kid.
· Something to watch for – the ACC this week unanimously voted to allow student athletes to transfer among member schools without having to sit out a season to become eligible.
· A sure sign we're getting closer to normalcy – the spring recruiting dead period for college sports is scheduled to end, on or about May 31. Likely, a 'quiet period' will ensue in June where coaches can once again host on-campus visits.
· PC's 14th ranked hockey Friars await an at-large possibility for the NCAA Tournament after a 5-2 loss to 6th ranked UMass in the Hockey East semis Wednesday. At 23 in the PairWise rankings (similar to basketball's NET), and only 16 teams invited to this dance…
· Even though they dropped a 3-0 game to Wisconsin, PC's women's hockey team did reach the NCAA's for the first time in 17 years.
· Missing the Providence Bruins? Despite some call-ups and a few roster makeovers, the P-Bruins are making the most of their shortened season away from the Dunk in Marlboro, MA…tied for the second-best record right now in the AHL.
· And after Dan Vladar's rookie debut between the pipes for Boston this week, keep an eye on current P-Bruin goalie Callum Booth…while you can.
· Big ups to Friar runner Abbey Wheeler, who finished 5th at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Arkansas this week for the 5000-meter run. Good enough for a first-team all-American honor, the third of her career.
· Maybe URI should play its football season every spring? The Rams beat #6 Villanova in their opener last week, on the road. They'll be at 18th ranked Albany this Saturday.
· Bryant football also got its first win, 14-7 over Merrimack on the road. Who knew Rhode Island was such a spring football powerhouse?
· In a more traditional sense, URI baseball has won six straight, and the Rams are 8-5 on the young season…including a two-game sweep of Bryant last weekend.
· LeBron James owns a piece of the Red Sox? Stealing a beauty from WBZ's Joe Giza: "So now LeBron owns both the Red Sox and the Celtics."
· Very sorry to learn about the passing of one-time CCRI baseball star and former Red Sox pitcher Rheal Cormier. Born in Canada, Cormier helped the Knights' program grow into a junior college power in the late '80's. He pitched for five major league teams (Boston in 1999-2000) over 16 seasons and ranks second all-time for games pitched by a Canadian.
· Only fellow Canadian (and another ex-Red Sox hurler) Paul Quantrill pitched more games in the bigs.
· Two New England legends – and I mean that in every possible sense of the word – also left us this week.
· Dick Hoyt had to stop running the Boston Marathon about six years ago due to health issues, but there was no more memorable a sight than seeing him push his quadriplegic son Rick, in his wheelchair, to the finish line every spring since 1981.
· Dick had to give up running a few years back due to recurring health issues. But it was obvious he never gave up his love for his son. Or their shared love for competition. Dedicated. Devoted. Marathons, triathlons, Ironman competitions – it was extraordinary to watch. He was an extraordinary man.
· Dick would tell you he simply loved his son, as he once told me. He passed away in his sleep at the age of 80.
· My memories of Marvin Hagler are two-fold: 1) Watching him annihilate "Hit Man" Hearns with the most exciting first round of any boxing match in the history of the sport in 1985, and…
· 2) Watching Sugar Ray Leonard dance his way around him two years later in 1987. As I recall, Hagler initially didn't want to face Leonard, perhaps pushed into facing him by public sentiment.
· His instinct wasn't off. He knew his style wouldn't match well with Leonard's, and he lost a controversial split decision.
· Hagler was then, and remains to this day, one of the fiercest competitors the squared circle has ever seen. His reign as undisputed middleweight champ (six years, seven months) was the second longest run in the last century.
· Rest in Peace, to Brockton's own. You were Marvelous.
· Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It's your chance to "think out loud," so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We'll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
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