By Kevin Stone/@kstone06/@newftbj For the first time since what feels like March, we’ve had a bit of a dead period this past week in terms of football news. As both college football and the NFL continue to try and navigate the pandemic and get athletes back into buildings to safely begin working out with teammates, here’s a few random thoughts on the world of football as we head into June:…
The NFL announced on Friday that owners will be voting on a new proposal next week that would reward teams for hiring minority head coaches and general managers. In the proposal, teams could move up six spots in the third round of next year’s draft if they hire a minority head coach and ten spots if they hire a minority general manager. Naturally, the reaction to this news has not…
By Kevin Stone/@kstone06/@newftbj It’s finally draft week. The first NFL Draft was held in February of 1936, with the next six years taking place in December. The first NFL Draft held in April was in 1943, and it remained that way for the next two years, but 1945 was the final one in April until 1976. This month has remained the designated Draft month since then with a few May…
By Kevin J. Stone/@kstone06/@newftbj It’s WrestleMania weekend, and even though it may not feel like it this year, it got us here at New England Football Journal thinking about all the wrestlers that have made the jump from pro or college football over the years. Arguably the greatest WrestleMania moment of all time involving a football player would have to be Hall of fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor facing Bam Bam…
By Kevin J. Stone/@kstone06/@newftbj Could Jarret Stidham make the playoffs his first full year as a starter? We have no way of knowing how good he is until he’s actually under center and all eyes are on him as the new leader, but the NFL sure made it a much more realistic possibility for the second-year QB out of Auburn with the adoption of a new playoff format Monday afternoon….
By Kevin J. Stone/@kstone06/@newftbj As the coronavirus pandemic continues to leave us with nothing but questions, the same can be said for the professional sports leagues in this country. Over recent days the NBA’s Mark Cuban and commissioner of baseball Rob Manfred both put rough estimates on when games might start back up with no fans, but of course no one truly knows when any of us will see sports…
NFL players approved a new CBA this morning by a narrow margin. The final vote was 1019 to 959. Approval required a majority of the players voting for the proposal. The players who paid dues were given a ten day period to vote on the proposal. Despite facing heavy opposition from star players such as Aaron Rodgers, J.J Watt, Russell Wilson and Michael Thomas, the new CBA passed. The agreement…
With free agency set to open next week, we examine 20 players that the Patriots could target in free agency. Our list is based on scheme fit and the team’s most pressing needs this off-season. All of this of course depends on whether or not the players vote for the proposed CBA on Sunday. Quarterbacks *Tom Brady should be priority number for the Patriots but we are going to take…
The Patriots kick off the 2019 season on Sunday night at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England will be raising their sixth Super Bowl banner. The franchise is well positioned to add an NFL record 7th Super Bowl title this season. Here is my breakdown of the offense, defense and special teams. Offense: Bill Belichick responded to the March retirement of Rob Gronkowski by loading up at wide receiver….
(Gregory Payan/AP) When news broke on Friday that Patriots owner Robert Kraft was being charged with soliciting prostitution at a spa in Jupiter, Florida, I was stunned. Like most people, several thoughts crossed my mind. Why would Robert Kraft visit an establishment like this? Why would a 77 year old billionaire want to ruin his reputation by getting caught up in something like this? None of it added up to…