The Patriot Way – New England Patriots News 11/28
Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12), safety Steve Gregory (28), and defensive tackle Vincent Wilfork (75) reach for a piece of a turkey while standing with NBC sports commentator Michele Tafoya after the game against the New York Jets on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. The Patriots won the game 49-19. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Since everyone will be rushing around trying to work out how to cook Turkeys without setting the house on fire, we’ll get through our Patriots news round up nice and quickly – there’s plenty of reading for you to do if you need to hide from the family for a bit too. Here we go!
There have been a few of the Patriots players in the media spotlight since the victory over the Broncos. We’ll start with Jamie Collins, who Bleacher Report are praising for his emergence against the Broncos – especially for his athleticism from the linebacker position.
Chandler Jones is subject of two pieces today, one at the Boston Herald and one at Rant Sports, after his reception of the Defensive Player of The Month award for November (the first Patriots player to win it since Eugene Wilson in 2004). With 10.5 sacks so far, Jones has been the Patriots pass rush on his own on occasion, and is also fitting into the theory that pass rushers tend to take big steps up in their second year.
Another Jones, defensive tackle Chris, is also in the spotlight at the Herald, given this weekend he will suit up for the Patriots against the team that drafted him in April, the Houston Texans. His rise from Texans cast off to Patriots starter has been one of the positive stories of the season.
One of the less positive stories has been Stevan Ridley’s propensity for dropping the ball on the ground. While there have been calls for Ridley to lose his starting role until he cures the problem, there are signs that he is trying to remedy the situation. According to the Boston Herald, he has put in a call to Patriots legend Kevin Faulk, who also suffered from fumbling issues early in his career, to help him get a firmer grip on the ball. Personally, I like Ridley, and if he can do what Adrian Peterson did over the last few years and eradicating fumbling from his game, then he should be the best Patriots running back in years.
On a lighter note, there is a rumour that one of the Patriots plays on Sunday was named after Coach Belichick’s girlfriend, Linda. Finally, over at NEPatriotsDraft, they’ve been taking a look at the prospects for drafting Brady’s long term successor in 2014, something that was also discussed here on Musket Fire.