NFL Notebook: 2017 division title could come earlier than usual for Patriots

Taking a weekend spin around the NFL with a focus on the Patriots...


1. If the Patriots can secure the AFC East this week — check all the scenarios here — it’ll represent the fourth-earliest date New England has clinched a division title under Bill Belichick, trailing only the 2007 (which clinched on Nov. 25 of that year), 2012 (which clinched on Dec. 2) and 2003 (Dec. 7) teams. By way of comparison, the 2001 team was the latest, and that group didn’t clinch the AFC East until Jan. 7, 2002, the last game of the regular season. (To be honest, one of the things that sort of gets lost in the shuffle when you talk about the 2007 Patriots is the fact that they clinched the AFC East before the start of December. Since the NFL went to a 16-game season in 1978, they were one of four teams that clinched in the 11th week of the season: the 1985 Bears, the 1997 49ers and 2004 Eagles were the other three.)

2. One of the stumbling blocks for the Patriots in previous trips to South Florida has been the heat, but according to weather.com, it should be in the 60s for Monday’s game in South Florida between the Patriots and Dolphins. That’s positively mild for a game in Miami; granted, part of that is because it’ll be a night game, but it’s still a bit of a break for New England. (At the same time, it figures to be the last “warm-weather” game of the year for the Patriots.) Overall, New England is often celebrated as a team that does well in the cold, but they’ve also played well in the warmth over the last year-plus. Dating back to the start of the 2016 season, the Patriots are 8-0 in games outdoors when it’s been 65 degrees or better at kickoff. That includes a 4-0 this season and a perfect 4-0 last year.

3. On this week’s edition of the “Cover 2” podcast with pals Don Banks and Nick Stevens, they spoke with Don Yee, the agent for Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Jimmy Garoppolo. Yee touched on a few different topics, including his thoughts on whether or not he thinks Jimmy Garoppolo — who’s set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season — has a future with the Niners.

“You’re always going into these situations with a lot of optimism,” Yee said. “But frankly, he’s only been there, I think barely a month, so they’re still getting to know him. In fact, I know that (GM) John Lynch hadn’t even met him before, physically, prior to the trade. (Coach) Kyle (Shanahan’s) only relationship with him was scouting him prior to the year I which he was drafted. They all have to spend some time getting to know each other. Right now, returns look promising. But right now, we still have a ways to go.”

Garoppolo certainly got his San Francisco career off on the right foot with a win last weekend against the Bears in Chicago.

“The team got the win and that’s always the objective, so my take would be a positive one,” he said. “Still, it was only his third NFL start, so there’s a long way to go. He’s got a lot of learning to do. And he’s working hard at it.”

When it came to repping both Brady and Garoppolo and whether or not it was “weird” having them in the situation they were in for the last year or so, Yee said he simply feels lucky to be in such a situation.

“A great privilege. Really, I can’t tell you how lucky I always feel and blessed to be around the quality of people I get to be around,” said Yee. “Two incredible, incredible people. Someday when it’s really written what they are like. … Particularly Tom. The longevity of his career. They’re both really just good people. When you ask me what it was like, I just feel lucky. They’re both very intelligent. Very grounded. And both understand the business part of the game. And so when people ask me that question, the first thing I tell them is I just feel lucky. I guess to draw two aces, you have to be lucky.”

4. As the last week of Pro Bowl voting gets underway, Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and kicker Stephen Gostkowski lead their respective positional groups among AFC players. Brady is second overall in Pro Bowl voting, trailing only Philly quarterback Carson Wentz (562,958 to 499,727), while Gronkowski is 10th overall in total votes with 342,183. One other interesting note: two former Patriots are among the NFL league leaders, as Chandler Jones leads NFC outside linebackers with 103,845 votes, while Kamu Grugier-Hill is tops among all NFC special teamers at 62,871.

5. For whatever reason, the Patriots seem to be holding fewer workouts than they usually do at this time of the year. Per a league source, this week, the only confirmed workout we were aware of was linebacker Cam Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 269-pounder who was a seventh-round pick of the Niners in 2012 out of Virginia. Johnson, who has suited up for San Francisco, Indy, Cleveland and Arizona since he entered the NFL, had his best season last year with the Browns in 2016 when he started nine games for Cleveland and had 32 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed. If Patriots sign him, he projects as an emergency depth acquisition on the edge.

(Just a heads up -- if you don't care about inside media stuff, feel free to skip to No. 7.)

6. Proud to play a role in the creation and awarding of the first Ron Hobson Media Good Guy Award, which ended up going to Matthew Slater last season. (The award is presented annually by the Patriots’ beat reporters to a player for his cooperation in dealing with the media.) With the understanding that Slater can’t win the award again this year — and in the interest of transparency, as well as the fact that I frequently get asked about my favorite interviewees — here are the five guys I considered before handing in my ballot this year.

Devin McCourty: Despite the fact that he goes to the podium once a week during the regular season, he’s always available to the media, and delivers insightful and intelligent answers.

Duron Harmon: The safety, nicknamed “The Voice” this year because he’s become more outspoken with reporters, is also always accommodating with us in the media. Always seems to be able to sum up the big picture in ways others can’t.

Gronkowski: The tight end has grown into his role as a veteran. He’s at the podium once a week, and has spent time chatting with the media in one-on-one settings when he’s been requested.

Ted Karras: Many offensive linemen have been terrific with the media over the years — namely Logan Mankins and Nate Solder — but Karras is always willing to chat. Points to him for owning up to the botched center-quarterback exchange a few weeks ago, answering the same question multiple times from different reporters.

Stephon Gilmore: The cornerback deserves plenty of credit this year for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he’s always been willing to answer questions, even when he was struggling early in the season.

7. Speaking of Harmon, it was fascinating to get his take on the level of intensity that’s cropped up in games over the last week-plus. Asked about the collisions and injuries that take place on a regular basis — and what sort of responsibility players have toward one another when it comes to player safety — Harmon delivered a thoughtful answer. “That's always hard. I mean, this is a physical game,” Harmon said. “Every hit is a quick second. It's hard to decipher if I'm hitting them in the helmet or I'm hitting them in the chest. These guys duck at times. It's so much. It's just all a part of the game. Some collisions you're going to hit the head. You don't want to. You're not trying to, but it's just the way the game is. It's so fast-paced and things happen in the blink of an eye. It's hard. All you can do is just try. I mean the rules are going to be the rules and the rules are to make this game as safe as possible. So I completely understand that, but certain things are just unavoidable.”

8. Last week against the Bills, the Patriots were whistled for nine penalties for 66 yards, not including the calls that were declined or offset. That leaves New England with 78 penalties (12th fewest in the league) for 694 penalty yards (14th). Here’s a look at the players who have played at least 600 snaps this season and have committed the fewest penalties.

Zero penalties
S Devin McCourty — 781 defensive snaps

One penalty
G Shaq Mason — 860 offensive snaps
QB Tom Brady — 849 offensive snaps

Most penalized by position (top 5 positions)
Offensive Line: 17 penalties for 155 yards
Special teams: 17 penalties for 137 yards
Cornerback: 10 penalties for 158 yards
Tight end: 10 penalties for 71 yards
Wide receiver: 8 penalties for 72 yards
Defensive Line: 7 penalties for 45 yards

Most frequently called penalties
False Start: 13
Offensive Holding: 12
Offensive Pass Interference: 8 (most in the NFL)
Illegal Block Above the Waist: 6
Defensive Holding: 6
Defensive Pass Interference: 4
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 14-2 (again), and I’m 130-60 on the season. This week, I’ve got the Falcons, Bills, Vikings, Bengals, Packers, Texans, Raiders, Giants, Lions, Titans, Jets, Chargers, Seahawks, Rams, Steelers and Patriots.

10. This coming week will be the biggest week of the regular season for the Patriots, who will be prepping for what will likely be their most important regular season game of the year, a clash in Pittsburgh with the Steelers that should determine AFC home-field advantage through the playoffs. Regardless of how New England plays, there will be no day off after a game ("Victory Monday") that has become par for the course the last few weeks. The bottom line? This is the time of year when Belichick’s “No Days Off” mantra is standard operating procedure around Gillette Stadium.