NFL Notebook: Amendola, Solder provide context to possible Foxborough stresses

In this week's NFL Notebook, we look at whether or not Cyrus Jones is capable of regaining the form that made him so talented at Alabama, what made a former Patriots offensive lineman decide to run this year's Boston Marathon, and an under-the-radar draft prospect New England is suddenly very interested in. But first, why the recent statements from former Patriots Nate Solder and Danny Amendola could help provide some insight into the dynamic between the coach, the quarterback and the tight end.



1. The biggest takeaway from this column from Nate Solder and these statements from Danny Amendola? From this perspective, it provides some context for some of the stories regarding possible tension within the Patriots.

Solder and Amendola revealed that while New England can be a positive and supportive place (something Solder highlighted in his column), and the reward is often Super Bowl rings (as Amendola noted), there also a flip side. There’s a high standard that can be tough to maintain — it’s Super Bowl or bust every year. There is an exacting coach who challenges you on a daily basis like few others. (Bill Belchick himself has said on a number of occasions he’s “not an easy guy to play for.”) And both players referenced the occasionally unforgiving, bottom-line culture that can be difficult for newcomers and vets alike to understand. Of course, it’s part of what has made them so good for so long. But all of that can make for an occasionally difficult atmosphere, even if you’ve been in the middle of it for a longer stretch like the two of them.

Really, in the end, the feelings from Solder and Amendola provide a clarifying frame of reference for what’s happening now with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski (two players who have been in the system even longer than Solder and Amendola). If the two departing Patriots feel the way they do, it’s not a stretch to suggest Brady and Gronkowski have felt the same way on occasion, especially over the course of this past offseason. That’s not to say they’ll feel the same way when everyone reconvenes in Foxborough in the coming days — time off has a way of healing those sorts of issues. And different players go through different relationships with the coach. Instead, it’s only to say that the peek behind the curtain that was provided by Solder and Amendola helps give us a greater understanding of the multilayered dynamic that exists between the coach and some of his star players.

2. If you’re on the Boston Marathon course Monday, keep an eye out for a familiar face — former Patriot offensive lineman Ryan Wendell will be running to help raise money for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. Wendell said this week a bunch of things went into the idea of him running, including his deep and abiding respect for Andruzzi and his work, as well as the fact that New England strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera doubted his abilities. “The second he told me I couldn’t do it, I was in,” laughed Wendell when asked about Cabrera. “The icing on it being able to support Joe and Jenna Andruzzi and their foundation.” Wendell said he’s under no illusions when it comes to hitting a specific time. “I was so naive when I first started. I thought, ‘Well, four hours seems respectable. Then, I started training, and I realized that was out of the question. Then, five hours was out of the question. I’m not going to worry about it. I know there’s a six-hour cutoff when they start taking down barriers and stuff like that. I just have to get to Boston before that. Honestly, my goal is to just to survive this thing. I want to survive and beat one other person just to be able to say I was second to last person who finished. That’s all.” To help support Wendell and Andruzzi — who continues to do amazing work when it comes to fundraising — check out their fundraising page here.

3. One more note from my conversation with Phil Savage earlier this week — he believes Cyrus Jones is capable of a bounce-back year in 2018. The color analyst for Alabama radio, Savage had the opportunity to watch Jones play regularly as a collegian, and based on what he went through at the college level — making adjustments after moving from offense to defense — he has the mental makeup of someone who is capable of playing well again. “At Alabama, when he started at wide receiver and later moved to defensive back, he played consistently well once he picked things up,” recalled Savage. “I mean, I’m just sort of guessing here. Is he someone who has maxed out his true ability, or is he someone who will get better? I don’t know. But based on the improvements he made at Alabama, there’s definitely some characteristics that would lead you to believe he’d be willing to fight his way out of his current situation. I mean, right now I’d guess that at worst, some people say he’s a third corner in the New England defense? If he can win that job and maintain that spot when it comes to the depth chart, that would be a win for him at this stage of his career.”

4. Martellus Bennett continues to make the rounds to promote the Imagination Agency, and he’s telling a bunch of stories from his year-plus with the Patriots. One of the favorites we heard this week was when he went on FS1’s “First Things First” and shared the story of a speech Brady gave the night before the 2016 AFC title game against the Steelers. “All the coaches leave, and Tom stands up in front of the team,” recalled Bennett. “And in that moment he (had) a compliment for every single guy on the team that meant something from that guy as a person, as a player from scout team to (Gronkowski). He knew every single player, what they had been doing, how they’re developing, what they’re getting better at. And I’m in there like, I’ve never seen anything like this. It (wasn’t) like a rah-rah, ‘Any Given Sunday’ speech, you know, Al Pacino or anything like that — every single player was different.” He also talks about some of the challenges that come with playing in New England we referenced at the top of the notebook. Check out more of the interview here:



5. Good to hear Belichick give a shoutout to New England college football on Friday morning, saying that this year sets up to be a pretty good one when it comes to NFL prospects. "There are always players in New England, but I'd say more players closer to home this year," Belichick said during Friday's pre-draft press conference. "Steve (Addazio), BC has done a great job of building that program, acquiring talent over there. They have a number of players. … UConn, UMass, Holy Cross, Maine -- a lot of New England schools have guys that are going to be I would say factors in the draft at one time or another. So it's good to see that.”

Other than BC’s Harold Landry — a consensus first-rounder — here are four other New England collegians who have an excellent chance of hearing their names come draft weekend.

a) Boston College cornerback Isaac Yiadom: The Worcester native started all 13 games for the Eagles last year, making 53 tackles, finishing with a pair of picks and breaking up seven passes.

b) UConn defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi: He played in 44 games with the Huskies and had 14 sacks as a collegian, including eight as a sophomore. Expected to be a mid-rounder.

c) Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujals: At the Crusaders’ Pro Day, Pujals caught the eye of Gil Brandt. As a collegian, he completed 60 percent of his passes, and threw for 84 touchdowns and 11,695 yards.

d) Maine offensive lineman Jamil Demby: The 6-foot-5, 335-pounder is considered a mid- to late-rounder who will likely make the move from tackle to guard at the next level. He was just the sixth player in the history of the Black Bears program to participate in the combine.

(Also, BC cornerback Kamrin Moore and UConn cornerback Jamar Summers are also possibilities worth keeping an eye out for.)

6. Multiple league sources told me this week that the Patriots are one of a few teams who are taking a “strong interest” in defensive lineman Nate Shepherd of Fort Hays State. A raw prospect out of Canada, he checks in at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds. A Division II stud, he was an All-America selection as a defensive lineman two consecutive years (2016 and 2017). He finished with 168 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks in his three-year career at FHSU. Interesting that draft expert Lance Zierlein compares his game to Akiem Hicks, who enjoyed success in his relatively brief stint with the Patriots. (Zierlein also pegs him as a second-day possibility, for what it’s worth.) An under-the-radar type to watch come draft weekend.

7. Four draft-related nuggets for you this week, courtesy of the Patriots’ PR staff:

a) The Patriots have 16 first-team All-Pro selections via the draft since 2000, which ranks behind only the Panthers (18), Cowboys (17) and Seahawks (17), according to ESPN’s Stats & Information. In addition, the Patriots’ 63 Pro Bowl selections via the draft since 2000 is a league-leading total, followed by the Cowboys (62) and Chargers (50).

b) The Patriots have two firsts and two seconds. They’ve made at least two first-round selections and two second-round selections in the same draft three times — 1998, 1982 and 1977.

c) The Patriots have had at least one rookie free agent make the opening-day 53-man roster for 14 straight seasons, third-longest streak behind the Chargers (21) and Colts (19). Last year, four undrafted players made the 53-man roster: defensive lineman Adam Butler, offensive lineman Cole Croston, tight end Jacob Hollister and linebacker Harvey Langi.

d) Since 2000, the Patriots have traded up 20 times in draft day exchanges, and traded down 21 times. In all Belichick has made 61 draft-day trades since 2000.

8. With the statement from Belichick on Friday that they occasionally conduct mock drafts to try and come up with different scenarios, I reached out to a few other folks around the league to see if that was a common thing. One NFC personnel man responded, saying “most teams” run through drills like those in the days before the draft, trying to anticipate what the rest of the league might do, including possible trades. It’s just one way of trying to forecast what might be coming down the road. But it’s still difficult to try and get a handle on just what might happen. “It’s hard enough when you think you know what you’re doing,” Belichick said. “It’s even harder when you’re kind of guessing, because you just didn’t anticipate this. I’d say that’s kind of the purpose of the mock draft. We don’t sit around and do it all day, but we do it as an exercise just to kind of, as I said, simulate.”

9. Dion Lewis is in the infant stages of his Tennessee career, but has already noticed a few similarities between the way former Patriots linebacker and new Titans head coach Mike Vrabel runs things with Tennessee, and what he came from in New England. “It’s a little bit different and a little similar at the same time,” Lewis said. “Obviously, Coach Vrabel played with the Patriots for a long time, so, obviously, some of the things that he preaches are some of the things that he’s played under. But at the same time, he has his own way of communicating to us and his expectations of us. Just going by the way he is and everybody just buying into the culture he’s trying to establish here, I’m excited to play for him.” It’s going to be interesting to see just how much of Vrabel’s coaching style will mimic Belichick, and how much different style he’ll bring to the table.

10. From Tweet of the Week Department: An alert reader noted that while we highlighted the likes of Derek Rivers and Tony Garcia and their potential to contribute in 2018 in this story, it’s also worth mentioning the Patriots will welcome back three other young players (all of whom are just 24 years old) who were part of the mix in 2016 but also sat out all last year because of injury. Jones, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell and defensive lineman Vincent Valentine were all on the roster in ’16 and all saw significant snaps at some point, but like Rivers and Garcia, weren’t around last season because of injury. Rivers and Garcia are considered key puzzle pieces because they are at positions of perceived need, but the other three deserve to be a part of the conversation when you’re talking about young players who were off the radar last year who have a chance to impact the 2018 roster.