NFL Notebook: Tom Brady relaxed in run-up to another Super Bowl appearance

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Taking a weekend spin around the NFL with a focus on the Patriots…



1. One of the things that stood out about this week was the fact that quarterback Tom Brady was pretty relaxed, at least publicly. Certainly much more relaxed than his last two Super Bowl trips, when he was either still in the crosshairs of Deflategate (Super Bowl XLIX) or working through the emotions of having his Mom and Dad see him play for the first time that year because of his mother’s illness (Super Bowl LI). Maybe some of it is the fact that he appreciates being in this position as he’s gotten older, as he said at one point.

“Early on, it went so fast,” he said. “I think (now) I really relish these experiences and opportunities and make the best of them. We lost a couple of them -- in ‘07 and 2011 -- and we were lucky to get back and win a couple of times. But this is the one that matters the most."

To anyone who watched him as he went through media availability this week, you saw someone who seemed to be enjoying the spotlight and not merely enduring it.

“I’m having fun,” he added later in the week. “I’m really enjoying it.”

Maybe it was because there were moments where he wasn’t the biggest story of the week. (On Thursday, he was particularly happy that tight end Rob Gronkowski was the one who drew the biggest media crowd, as the tight end had just been cleared following the concussion protocol.) Maybe it was because he feels as prepared as he possibly can be as he lines up for a shot at a sixth ring. Regardless, it was fascinating to watch over the course of the last few days. Ultimately, I’m not 100 percent sure how he’ll respond when the ball is kicked off Sunday night, but if the run-up to the game is any indication, he seems to be in a pretty good place.

2. I was asked multiple times this week about the possibility of a relatively under-the-radar guy coming up big in the Super Bowl like James White in Super Bowl LII and Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl XLIX. Here are my three picks.

a) Marquis Flowers: The former Bengal has had a knack for being around the ball in big moments as of late, and has taken on a bigger and bigger role in the defense as the season has gone on. (Fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy might also be in this same category here.)

b) Eric Rowe: Look for the Eagles to occasionally test the depth of the New England secondary by taking a shot in Rowe’s direction. They know just what their former teammate can and can't do.

c) Rex Burkhead: The back has struggled with knee and rib injuries this year, but when he’s been healthy, he’s been an important part of the offense, finishing with 30 catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

3. So Ty Law didn’t make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We’ve done a lot of stories on his candidacy over the last year-plus, including the lead to this notebook, but it doesn’t seem quite right that he didn’t get in. Setting aside my personal feelings — I’m not sure how he didn’t make it when you stack his career totals against some other cornerbacks — I have to imagine he’ll have an excellent shot at making it in 2019. Here’s a look at some of the first-year possibilities who will be up for induction: Tony Gonzalez (a lock), Ed Reed (another lock) London Fletcher (a good debate, especially when it comes to his durability — 221 consecutive starts at linebacker) and offensive lineman Brian Waters (another good debate). Where it’s going to get dicey for Law next year will be the addition of Champ Bailey to the pool of possible inductees. Both deserve a spot, but the voters might not be keen on electing two elite guys at the same position as part of the same class. Granted, there are exceptions — I mean, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are both in this year — but those cases are rare. Bottom line? He deserves a gold jacket.

4. As for Moss, I’ll just say this: I’ve covered the Patriots since 2001, and I’ve seen a lot of amazing performances. I’ve never seen anyone have the sort of impact than Moss did in 2007. He was absolutely epic, finishing the year with 98 catches for 1,493 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. It was the single best season I’ve ever seen anyone ever have in a New England uniform. I hit on this earlier in the week, but this quote from Rodney Harrison on Moss and that season bears repeating. “I think in 2007, a lot of people doubted Moss. And I’ll tell you this — Moss was a tremendous teammate. Never caused any problems,” recalled Harrison. “He cussed a lot. Which I didn’t like, but he was tremendous. He was mature, he worked his butt off, and was very, very smart.” Check out this Top 10 from the NFL Network on Moss, which put him as the No. 2 receiver of the 2000s, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it.

5. One other thing about Moss that’s worth mentioning here is the fact that, according to Belichick, he was one of the best in the recent history of the league at the art of “shooting late hands,” a skill that every good receiver needs — not raising your hands to catch the ball until it’s almost past you. The thinking? You have a defensive back chasing you and you throw your hands up, that defensive back knows the ball is coming. You wait? It keeps the defensive back guessing. Brandon LaFell called it the ability to “shoot late hands,” and detailed why it was so important to me in 2015. “Most of the time, when you beat a defensive back and he’s in catch-up mode, he’s not going to turn around and look at the ball. He’ll look at your eyes. He’ll look at your hands,” LaFell explained. “The sooner you throw your hands up, the sooner he’s going to try and rake. The better you do when you shoot late hands, the better chance you have to catch the ball.”

6. One of my favorite exchanges this week was with special teams coach Joe Judge, one of the most passionate coaches you’ll ever come across. I shared a story with him — in the late-season win over the Jets, Matthew Slater downed a pair of punts inside the New York 4-yard line. After the second one, one New York writer turned to the other in the press box and said, “So that’s why he was voted to the Pro Bowl this year after only playing nine games.” Judge laughed, and responded. “I tell you what stands out about Matt to me: Matt takes notes in every meeting like he’s never heard it before,” Judge said. “He sits in the front row with his eyes wide open, waiting to hear any detail he can hear that will help him. He’s one of the first in the building and one of the last to leave. It’s everything you don’t see that makes what you do see remarkable. He’s tremendous. He’s great to be around. I value every day I get to coach him.”

7. In that same vein, I also had the chance to ask first-year tight ends coach Nick Caley about the work of Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen this past season. “He works his tail off. He studies the game. He’s the ultimate team player,” Caley said of Gronkowski. “He’s a great teammate. He’s unselfish and he studies. He watches tape. He’s a grinder. He’s played a lot of football at a high level, and he cares about it. He cares about his job a lot. He works his tail off at it. It’s all very important to him.” As for Allen, Caley brought up his blocking and his professionalism. “Dwayne is a competitor. Every day, he pours everything he has into getting better. He’s physical. And he does a great job, week to week,” he said of Allen. “He embraces that. Everybody’s role will change from time to time a little bit here, and he’s done a great job and really made great improvements and been unselfish and worked his tail off.”

8. Running backs coach Ivan Fears told me this week that he’s come to consider all of his running backs his sons. “I guess that’s the way I look at it,” said Fears, one of two assistant coaches on the New England staff who pre-date Belichick. “I’ve had some great people. Some great people. I tell you what — I was scared to death of Corey Dillon. But after our first meeting, after that first meeting when we sat down and talk and I was able to talk frankly to him, I fell in love with him as a player. And I’ve come to realize, these guys are like that. Most of them, Bill doesn’t usually bring a bad apple into the building. I’ve been really fortunate. I mean, goddamn fortunate to have some great guys that are willing to be coached and coached hard. Willing to tell them the truth. ‘Hey man. You can’t do that. That sucks. That will get us killed on Sunday. You do that (expletive), you’re not playing.’ And they take it the right way. And they go out there and they improve. I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of guys like that in my coaching career. No one jumps back in my face and said ‘(Expletive) you.’ I’ve been very fortunate.”

9. As we’ve said before, it’s never too early to start mocking. We’ve had a few updates over the course of the last month or so — here’s the latest on who the pundits think the Patriots might be targeting at the end of the first round. (If you’ve been following along, you know that Evans’ name keeps coming up.)

CBS Sports: LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama and DE Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
SB Nation: CB Mike Hughes, Central Florida
Walter Football: DT Trenton Thompson, Georgia
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: CB Mike Hughes, Central Florida
Bleacher Report: CB Carlton Davis, Auburn

10. With the season coming to a close on Sunday, here are a few important dates to keep in mind over the next couple of months:

Feb. 20: The first day for teams to designate franchise or transition players.
Feb. 27-March 5: NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 6: Deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition players.
March 12-14: The window for teams to contact and enter into negotiations with the agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents.
March 14: The start of the 2018 league year. Teams are permitted to contact and enter into negotiations with players who are free agents.
March 25-28: Annual league meetings, Orlando.