Patriots Opt-Outs

Six New England Patriots have opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. Those six are:

• Patrick Chung
• Dont'a Hightower
• Marcus Cannon
• Brandon Bolden
• Danny Vitale
• Najee Toran

I agree with Tom E. Curran that for some Patriots, opting out of the NFL season is the logical choice. I support these players 100%. The way I understand it the deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season is August 3rd. So by the end of Monday we should know how widespread this is across the NFL. My guess is that teams who recently won Super Bowl rings will have the most players sitting out. 

The players opting out also mean the Patriots now have about $27 million in cap space for the upcoming season. I'm pretty optimistic on the team and their chances given that chaos all the NFL will be dealing with this season.

AFC Championship Game

The Wikipedia entry to the left only seems like it's true. It has been 8-straight years that New England has been in the AFC Championship.

Fact checking some other myths surrounding the Patriots 18-year reign. Have a little issue with the last one - the "everyone thinks we suck" one. The negativity and hot takes from the local media (with some notable exceptions like Tom E. Curran and Mike Reiss) has been disheartening to the point that many people have simply stopped listening to the naysayers. The negativity from the Boston Globe towards the Patriots has been especially pronounced since Red Sox owner John Henry bought the paper. This negativity is hardly imagined.

The silent majority of Pats fan appreciate the unprecedented success and the greatness of Brady and Belichick.

Tom Brady has completely rewritten the post-season record book and it's not even close. In just Tom Brady's last 16 playoff games the Patriots are 12-4 and he's thrown for 5,284 yards with 32 TD's and 14 INT's. Keep in mind that these 16 games all came after Brady turned 35-years old! Interesting look at how Tom Brady keeps his competitive fire going.

Yesterday was also a pretty big anniversary in Boston sports history.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting story on how a group of Russian engineers have been scamming slot machines around the world

- Cool - MRI showing what happens inside our mouths when we speak

- US Surgeon General says it's high time to relax marijuana rules

- Am I an awful person for laughing at this?

- North and South Korea hold ceremony to start the linking of railroads between the two countries. The story of the progress being made here is vastly underplayed by the US media. I wonder why?

- Your periodic reminder of things you control

- Are we approaching the end for Rob Gronkowski? I agree with Tm E. Curran - I think this season will be Gronk's last as a football player.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Good stuff - rules for writers

- But wasn't curling invented as an excuse to drink?

- Interesting - the Trump Administration has saved Americans $26 billion on prescription drugs through increased competition fueled by the approval of 1,617 new generic drugs. 

- Another of the great pranks in college sports history

- Tom E. Curran with a sobering look at where the Patriots will find themselves next season

- Hawaii's Mars simulations are turning into moon missions. There is a very real race for the moon going on.

- Northern Exposure reboot in the works at CBS. Cool but how about releasing the original episodes on Netflix or something first?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- No more nudes at Playboy. Surprising but understandable move when you think about it.

- Tom E. Curran defends Alex Guerrero

- Very touching and classy move by the Bruins yesterday with Travis Roy

- Tasmanian Devils being returned to the wild

- As if I needed another reason not to like the Cardinals

- Growing up in New England I just assumed that Columbus Day was a national holiday. Boy was I wrong

- Best alternate universe ending for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

- It's hard to to feel for Ed Werder and his family after reading this

- This is Exhibit 2,389 of why I'm not a fan of soccer

- Cool Firefly article on their reunion at this year's NYC Comic Con

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Good morning America!

- Don't be a do nothing bitch

- Cool - how Steely Dan created the song Deacon Blues

- HeadsetGate.com - hats off to what ever Patriots fan created that

- Tom E Curran gives the best explanation about what's happening in Foxboro right now