NFL Notebook: Over the years, Tom Brady has owned Jack Del Rio

Taking a weekend trip around the NFL with a focus on the Patriots…


1. When it comes to veteran defensive coordinators, no one has been owned by Tom Brady more than Jack Del Rio. The names and faces have changed on both sides of the ball, but Brady has an 8-1 career mark against Del Rio-led defenses (either as a head coach or defensive coordinator), and has posted some of the most memorable performances of his career when a Del Rio defense was on the other side of the ball. Here’s a look at Brady’s performance in those nine games:

• Dec. 14, 2003, vs. Jacksonville: 22-for-34, 228 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 27-13.
• Jan. 7, 2006, playoffs vs. Jacksonville: 15-for-27, 201 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 28-3.
• Dec. 24, 2006, at Jacksonville: 28-for-39, 249 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 24-21.
• Jan. 12, 2008, playoffs vs. Jacksonville: 26-for-28, 262 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 31-20.
• Dec. 27, 2009, vs. Jacksonville: 23-for-26, 267 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 35-7.
• Oct. 7, 2012, vs. Denver: 23-for-31, 223 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 31-21.
• Nov. 24, 2013, vs. Denver: 34-for-50, 334 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. Patriots win, 34-31.
• Jan. 19, 2014, playoffs vs. Denver: 24-for-38, 277 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, Patriots lose, 26-16
• Nov. 2, 2014 vs. Denver: 33-for-53, 333 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, Patriots win, 43-21



Overall, against Del Rio, Brady averages a 69 percent completion rate, just over two touchdown passes and 264 yards per game. He’s only thrown one interception in those nine games against Del Rio’s teams. What do you see from No. 12 this year, Jack?

“It's pretty much vintage Tom Brady. I think he's been as good as anybody doing it for quite a number of years,” Del Rio said this week. “Obviously, adding a guy like Brandin Cooks helps with some of the deep shots they want to take, and (Phillip) Dorsett (does as well). I mean, a couple of the skill people they've added that it makes sense to take deep shots with them. For the most part, he's really competitive. He's really prepared and you know you have your hands full anytime you’re going up against him.

2. We are approaching the time of year when teams are going to start sniffing around Josh McDaniels as a head coaching candidate. (Jim Nantz might say it’s a tradition unlike any other.) With no shortage of jobs expected to be available between now and Black Monday, McDaniels should have plenty of opportunities. On the surface, Indy, Cleveland, Arizona, Miami, Houston, Chicago and the New York Giants could be looking for new head coaches sooner rather than later. But who would McDaniels (and perhaps Matt Patricia) be up against when it comes to these gigs? In addition to the Patriots’ OC, here are five other guys who will be in the mix when jobs become available.

a) Dave Toub: The Chiefs special teams coach, who interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies last offseason (including Denver), will get plenty of consideration this time around. John Harbaugh for a new generation?

b) Matt Nagy: Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, he could follow the same path as Doug Pederson, who went from the Chiefs’ OC to head coach of the Eagles this past offseason. He worked with Indy GM Chris Ballard when the two were together in Kansas City, which could mean he’d be ticketed for the Colts.

c) Jim Bob Cooter: The Lions’ offensive coordinator is credited with helping get Matthew Stafford to the next level. But would NFL owners — who are always squirrelly when it comes to appearances — be OK with a head coach named Jim Bob?

d) Jim Schwartz: Like Nagy, the Eagles defensive coordinator (and former Detroit head coach) has seen his stock soar this season. That means he could be back as a head coach sooner rather than later.

e) Dennis Allen: The Saints’ DC is a hot name in head coaching circles because of the turnaround he helped orchestrate in New Orleans.

3. A lot has been made about the Patriots’ attempts to adjust to the altitude of Mexico City for this weekend’s game against the Raiders by staying in Colorado for the week. However, it’s not like Oakland was sitting around doing nothing. According to those who cover the team, the Raiders have spent the last month or so anticipating the thin air of Mexico City by riding stationary bikes while wearing an elevation mask to help brace for air conditions. It was something the team did in the days leading up to their game against the Texans in Mexico last year, and Oakland came out of that one with a 27-20 win. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “The mask and the bike stuff really helped us last year,” offensive lineman Jon Feliciano said. “Any little thing that can give you an advantage, we’re going to do it. This year, we made more of an emphasis (with it) where maybe once or twice a week people are getting on it.”

4. My new favorite stat? If the Patriots beat the Raiders in Mexico City on Sunday, Brady and Bill Belichick can boast of wins in three different countries: the United States, Great Britain and Mexico. They’d join an interesting group, one that includes Jay Cutler and Ryan Fitzpatrick and former Bears coach Lovie Smith.

5. This is the sort of thing that probably doesn’t matter much to fans, but with David Andrews not playing this week, it certainly bears mentioning: Ted Karras is probably one of the more likable guys in the New England locker room, and if the Illinois product does get the call to step in for Andrews against the Raiders, it’ll make a whole lot of people around Gillette Stadium very happy. Karras, the son of one of the 1987 replacement Redskins who also counts former All-Pro Alex Karras as his great-uncle, is as diligent and devoted to his craft as they come, and has carved out a nice niche as a good teammate and dependable lineman when he’s gotten the call. “Ted works hard. He loves football,” Belichick said. “He gets there early, stays late.” Regarded as the primary backup along the interior of the offensive line, he hasn’t gotten much run over the last year-plus because Andrews and guards Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason have played almost every snap since Week 2 of the 2016 season. Nevertheless, he’s always ready — the next time you’re at a Patriots game, train your binoculars on the New England sideline, and you’ll likely see Karras, always stretching and staying loose in case he gets the call. He’ll have his hands full this week with the Oakland defensive line, but it’ll be a challenge he’s earned over the last year-plus.

6. Martellus Bennett is back in New England, and some Packers aren’t happy about it. Safety Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix told the Wisconsin State Journal this week that while he doesn’t necessarily fault Bennett, because you have to think of this as a business. But he still blames Bennett for quitting on the Packers. “He quit on us. He let us down -- as a teammate. For a guy that came in, of his caliber, his leadership quote-unquote, I expected more from him. I held him to a higher standard, me personally. But he handled it the way he wanted to handle it,” Clinton-Dix said. "I honestly think winning on Sunday gave us a motivation to go out every week (going forward) and compete. That was the hump we needed to get over -- winning a game, first and foremost. That Marty stuff, I'm glad we got it out of the way. It's time to move on." Linebacker Clay Matthews said “we all got a good laugh” out of what happened, but he doesn’t sound like he’s losing sleep over the incident. "It is what it is. Martellus is in their locker room now and not here anymore. So now we're just focused on the guys we have in here." Clinton-Dix did add that despite Bennett’s shoulder issues in Green Bay, he looked OK in last Sunday’s Patriots-Broncos game. "He seemed to suit up and looked good on Sunday night,” said the Pro Bowl linebacker.

7. File this one under “What if?”: The Broncos announced Saturday that they had waived tight end A.J. Derby, a sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2015. He was dealt from New England to Denver in 2016, and had a respectable 35 catches for 384 yards and two touchdowns in a year-plus with the Broncos. If Bennett’s relationship with the Packers hadn’t soured and Denver had still waived Derby, it’s reasonable to wonder if it would it be Derby back in New England instead of Bennett. Obviously, a lot would have had to happen — like Derby clearing waivers — for the Arkansas product to make it back to New England. But it’s another example of timing playing a sizable role when it comes to the team-building process.

8. As a team, last Sunday against the Broncos, the Patriots took a season-low one penalty for 5 yards, not counting those that were offset or declined. On the season, New England has 60 penalties (15th) and 548 penalty yards (16th). Overall, here’s a look at players who have played at least 475 snaps this season and have one penalty or less:

Zero penalties
S Devin McCourty — 590 defensive snaps
S Duron Harmon — 479 defensive snaps

One penalty
G Shaq Mason — 663 offensive snaps
QB Tom Brady — 654 offensive snaps
CB Malcolm Butler — 571 defensive snaps
WR Chris Hogan — 535 offensive snaps

Most penalized by position (top 5 positions)
Special teams: 13 penalties for 112 yards
Offensive Line: 12 penalties for 125 yards
Cornerback: 8 penalties for 119 yards
Wide receiver: 7 penalties for 61 yards
Defensive Line: 7 penalties for 45 yards

Most frequently called penalties (top 5 types of penalties)
Offensive Holding: 10
False Start: 6
Offensive Pass Interference: 6
Illegal Block Above the Waist: 5
Defensive Holding: 4
Defensive Pass Interference, Illegal Use of Hands, Defensive Offsides: 3

(As always, thanks to NFLpenalties.com for providing a database to help cross-check our information.)

9. Last week, I was 12-2, and I’m now a red-hot 93-51 on the year. (All I do is pick winners, people.) This week, go with the Steelers, Lions, Jaguars, Ravens, Texans, Dolphins, Rams, Saints, Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Patriots, Eagles and Seahawks.

10. Not sure if it was the trip to Denver, the odd scheduling quirks, or simply the fact that it’s roughly the same time of the season, but the recent stretch for the Patriots reminds me an awful lot of the three games in 12 days they went through last year. They won three games in those 12 days, and that stretch set the tone for their late-season finishing kick and burst into the playoffs. Only time will tell if they can replicate that same sort of late-season magic, but regardless, the coming days should be a lot less eventful than the last week-plus for this team. If they win and and play well against the Raiders, look for the team to get a Victory Monday before they dive headfirst into prepping for the Nov. 26 game in Foxborough against the Dolphins.