Notebook: Source says ‘minor’ knee sprain for LaAdrian Waddle

It sounds like there's some good news when it comes to right tackle LaAdrian Waddle.


Waddle's knee sprain he suffered in Saturday’s divisional playoff win over the Titans was "minor," according to a league source. Waddle was replaced in the lineup by Cameron Fleming, and was spotted in the locker room after the game appearing to move without an issue. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder has split time at right tackle with Fleming since starter Marcus Cannon went down earlier in the season.

In addition to Waddle, cornerback Jonathan Jones went down late in the game with an unspecified injury.

Bills hire ex-Pats coach Daboll as their new OC

The Bills made a surprising announcement on Sunday afternoon, hiring Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator. The former Patriots position coach, who had served one year as offensive coordinator at Alabama, was thought to be a possibility to return to New England as the new OC if Josh McDaniels ended up taking a head coaching gig.

Daboll spent a total of 11 seasons in New England. In two separate stints with the Patriots, Daboll served as a defensive assistant, wide receivers coach, offensive assistant and tight ends coach, winning five Super Bowl rings.

Daboll has Western New York ties: Born in Welland, Ontario, he played high school football in upstate New York and played collegiately at the University of Rochester, where he was a two-year starter. He and Bills coach Sean McDermott first crossed paths at William & Mary -- McDermott was a senior safety for The Tribe when Daboll was a restricted earnings coach on the William & Mary staff in 1997.

In a statement issued by the team, McDermott said: “We are excited to hire Brian as our offensive coordinator and welcome him back to Western New York. I know how much this area means to him. He is a good coach and a good teacher and has been a part of winning programs in the NFL and in college.”

Belichick not surprised at neutral zone call

On a conference call with reporters Sunday morning, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he wasn’t shocked at the neutral zone infraction that the Titans were whistled for in the second quarter of Saturday’s win. The call, which came prior to a punt deep in New England territory, gave the ball back to the Patriots. New England then seized command of the game, going up by two scores before the end of the first half on the way to the eventual victory.

“I wasn’t (surprised) because I thought that (Brynden) Trawick entered the neutral zone and Geneo (Grissom) reacted to him,” explained Belichick. “We practice that play every week, and if it’s that kind of situation — fourth and less-than-5 – and the player enters the neutral zone then we want to react to it and force the penalty and not allow them to get back and reset and not have the opportunity for it. I thought it was a heads-up play by Geneo to react to that. That’s what he’s supposed to do and that’s what he did. I thought we did the right thing.

“He definitely entered the neutral zone. I mean, at least what I saw. I thought Trawick was in the neutral zone, so assuming that we agree on that, if he did that then the player on the offensive side of the ball – if he reacts to that then the penalty is on the defense.”

How do you replace coordinators?

With the possibility of Josh McDaniels and/or Matt Patricia departing for head coaching jobs at the end of the season, Belichick was also asked about the process that goes into filling a vacancy on the coaching staff.

“In any decision that involves personnel on the team I always try to do what’s best for the football team,” he said flatly. "That’s what goes into it. There could be a thousand things, so if you’re signing a player, drafting a player, however you acquire a player, or coach, or a scout, or an administrative position then I always try to think of what’s the best thing for the football team. You look at what the team needs.

“There’s no set model. The only thing that’s consistent for me is doing what’s best for the football team. I mean, I know that’s hard for some people to understand why I would think like that, but that’s the only way I can really put it into any kind of context. What other agenda is there? What other reason is there really for making any personnel decision? I don’t know.”

Brady continues dominance over LeBeau

This is something we hit on last week, but with the Titans’ game now complete, it’s worth revisiting the career totals of the Tom Brady vs. Dick LeBeau battle:

vs. Pittsburgh
10/31/04: 25-for-43 for 271 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions (34-20 loss)
1/23/05: 14-for-21 for 207 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions (41-27 win)
9/25/05: 31-for-41 for 372 yards with no touchdowns, and one interception (23-20 win)
12/9/07: 32-for-46 for 399 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions (34-13 win)
11/14/10: 30-for-43 for 350 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions (39-26 win)
10/30/11: 24-for-35 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (25-17 loss)
11/3/13: 23-for-33 for 432 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions (55-31 win)

vs. Tennessee
12/20/15: 23-for-35 for 267 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (33-16 win)
1/13/18: 35-for-53 for 337 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions (35-14 win)

Totals: 237-for-350 (69 percent) for 2,810 yards for 22 TDs and 3 INTs
Average: 26-for-39 for 312 yards