Patriots news and whispers from around the web, 10/21
Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Get your day started off on the right foot by reading through these nuggets of New England Patriots news and whispers from around the football world. In case you missed it, be sure to check out the Musket Fire evening read from yesterday. While you’re at it, find out the one thing that will determine the winner on Sunday, as well as 5 telling facts about the Pats after 5 games.
NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle argues that neither the Patriots nor the New York Jets have the upper hand when it comes to Darrelle Revis’ familiarity with both teams. The Patriots know a bunch about Revis and his tendencies, and Revis knows a bunch about the Patriots’ offense.
Revis isn’t the only former Patriot making an appearance at Gillette Stadium this week. Rich Cimini of ESPN reminds us that Stevan Ridley is off the PUP and Kenbrell Thompkins is expected to be signed to the Jets’ 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s game. The plot thickens.
The Washington Post’s Mike Renner hit the nail on the head when he wrote that the best way to mitigate Tom Brady is to hound him with an effective pass rush. With the Patriots’ offensive line catching a serious case of the injury bug in recent weeks, the Jets could very well exploit that weakness on Sunday.
Speaking of the weakening offensive line, the Patriots signed Massachusetts native Brennan Williams to the practice squad to help stop the bleeding at tackle, as noted by NESN.com’s Doug Kyed. Williams has played previously for the Houston Texans, and he had a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars this summer.
Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe noted that not just Brandon LaFell, but also Chris Jones and Dane Fletcher are technically eligible to play in Week 7 now that they are off the PUP list. Fletcher, in particular, will be a nice addition to a linebacker corps in which the top backup is currently Jonathan Freeny. While Freeny hasn’t been terrible, Fletcher is the better depth play behind Dont’a Hightower.