NFL Notebook: League, players need to find common ground on ‘body coaches’

In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we have five games the Patriots aren’t involved in that will draw the attention of New England fans, pre-draft updates, a final farewell to Gil Santos, and much more. But first: How the Alex Guerrero situation in New England could lead to a league-wide discussion on the use and credentialing of “body coaches” for star players.


1. Other teams are watching how the Patriots handle the Guerrero situation for a few reasons, including the fact that “body coaches” will almost certainly start to wield greater influence among NFL stars. Part of it is an interest in imitating Tom Brady — many quarterbacks in this draft, as well as younger ones who are already in the league, have already professed to following the TB12 method. And part of it will no doubt be tied to players feeling dubious about whether or not the franchise has their best interest at heart when it comes to health, a completely fair point in this day and age. Obviously, not every player is going to have the sort of power that Brady wields when it comes to having this discussion. But teams (and the league, sooner rather than later) will have to find some common ground with guys like Brady and Guerrero as stars will continue to seek outside counsel when it comes to what they believe is best for their bodies. That could involve the league seeking a more rigorous credentialing process when it comes to a player securing a body coach and working with him at the facility. It could also mean the potential expansion of the strength and conditioning staff. But this situation should lead to a broader, league-wide discussion about medicine and treatment and trust when it comes to both sides. Ultimately, many teams have found peace when it comes to having players spend time with personal trainers in the offseason. Players and teams need to reach an understanding on this matter as well before it starts to become a bigger issue.

2. In the comments section of one of the stories this week, there was some back-and-forth about the Patriots and just how aggressive they are compared to the rest of the league when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. So to clarify things, I went back and looked at every draft since 2000 to see how many quarterbacks each team drafted from 2000-2017.

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Now there’s more than one way to go about the team-building process (some teams go the free-agent route), but it remains interesting that despite the stability New England has had under center since 2001, only four teams have drafted more quarterbacks than the Patriots in that amount of time. (It’s also worth noting this doesn’t include street free-agent pickups and undrafted free agent possibilities, but with the acquisition of the likes of Brian Hoyer and Tim Tebow over the years, it stands to reason that if we did include those totals, New England would remain at or near the top of this list.) In all, the Patriots have drafted 44 quarterbacks in the 57 drafts in the history of the franchise.

3. Last week, we had four draft notes courtesy of Patriots’ PR. Here are five more draft notes to get your ready:

a) The Patriots have drafted 23 Boston College players in the history of the franchise, more than any other school. Two Eagles have been selected during the Belichick era -- Dan Koppen (2003) and Ron Brace (2009). Michigan is second with 19 players taken by the Patriots in the draft.

b) The 2004 draft was the only year of the Bill Belichick era where New England did not engage in any draft-day trades.

c) The Patriots have been awarded 35 compensatory picks since 1994, the fourth-most in the NFL since the compensatory system was instituted. Five players taken with compensatory picks are on the current roster: Brady, Geneo Grisson, Vincent Valentine, Elandon Roberts and Ted Karras.

d) When it comes to the current roster breakdown, the Patriots have nine first-round picks and nine second-round picks on the roster. (Those are most of any round.) On the other end of the spectrum, there are just two seventh-rounders. The most well-represented of the bunch? Undrafted players. Currently, there are 27 undrafted players on the team.

e) And finally, because it’s never too early to look ahead, here’s a look at the picks the Patriots’ currently have when it comes to the 2019 draft:

Round 1: Assigned Selection
Round 2: Assigned Selection
Round 3: Traded to Cleveland (in deal for DT Danny Shelton)
Round 4: Assigned Selection
Round 5: Assigned Selection
Round 6: Traded to Detroit (in exchange for CB/ST Johnson Bademosi)
Round 7: Assigned Selection

4. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock has mentioned on multiple occasions throughout the pre-draft process the Patriots are thinking about going quarterback in the early to middle rounds. In his conference call with the media on Friday, Mayock was again asked about New England and the quarterback position in the upcoming draft. “I think the first guy they've got to evaluate is Lamar Jackson: Does he or does he not fit for what they could do down the road? Belichick is an outside-the-box guy, and I think that's the first thing you've got to think of is it's a contrarian move. Can you go from Tom Brady to Lamar Jackson?” he asked. “Then you go to the more conventional-style quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph, Kyle Lauletta, Luke Faulk. The more tape I watch of Lauletta, the more I like the kid. I spent about three hours watching him last weekend. He's 6-foot-2½, 222, has enough arm, he's got some mobility, he's got a little moxie to him. I'm starting to think out of that next group, either Mason Rudolph or Kyle Lauletta are the two guys I like the most.”

5. We reported a week or so ago the Patriots are one of several teams interested in small-school stud Nathan Shepherd, a defensive lineman out of Fort Hays State. On Friday, Mayock had plenty of to say about the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Shepherd and what he brings to the table. “He is a big dude with an NFL body. He's got kind of rare movement skills,” Mayock said. “I think the 3-4 teams would look at him and say, 'Wow, he could be a 5 technique,' which is a defensive end in 3-4, but he also might have the movement skill down the road to develop into a sub rusher inside. He's kind of a rare guy from a height, weight, speed perspective. Raw as could be.” Initially seen as a third-round possibility at the start of the pre-draft process, Mayock believes he might have played his way into becoming a second-round selection. “I think he's worse-case a second talent, but he might drop into the third round, just because it might take a little while to get something out of him because he's so raw. But I'm telling you, I think the league is really intrigued by him and think he's got a lot of upside.”

6. With the draft just around the corner, it’s time for mock draft season to wrap up. In that vein, SI.com did a terrific piece here on the evolution of the mock draft and guys who became draft gurus. In it, there’s some interesting insight into the relationship between Belichick and Joel Buchsbaum, the first guy who “perfected” the mock draft. A Pro Football Weekly writer, Buchsbaum quickly gained a rep as a tireless worker who made it his business to know everything about the draft. He found a kindred spirit in Belichick, so much so that the Patriots coach attended Buchsbaum’s funeral in 2002, and at a memorial service, said Buchsbaum was one of his best friends. “Joel was a personal friend, and we were close because we were honest with each other and trusted that any information we shared would remain private,” recalled Belichick. “He was a one-man band who produced an incredible amount of accurate information … We tried to hire Joel in Cleveland, but he was committed to his book and personal research.” A really fascinating read, not just for the stuff on Belichick but on how the mock draft industry has grown into a colossus.



7. Just a reminder: The deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year option on the first-round picks of the 2015 draft is May 2, a week from Wednesday. At least publicly, the Patriots have yet to announce what they’re going to do with Shelton (he was a first-round pick of the Browns), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (a pick of the Colts) and defensive tackle Malcom Brown (New England’s first-round pick that year). To be clear, we’re talking about the option for 2019 here, his fifth-year in the league. If a player has his option exercised, his rookie contract will be extended by one year and he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2020. From this perspective, the best course of action would be to pick up the deals for Shelton and Brown, but take a pass on Dorsett and hope that if he continues to progress through the system, he could be open to a return after he plays out his current deal in 2019.

8. Five regular-season games this year that don’t involve the Patriots that New England fans will have the most interest in.

a) Sunday, Oct. 7 — Jaguars at Chiefs. Because they play on Thursday Night Football (Oct. 4), the Patriots have 10 days between their game against the Colts and their Oct. 14 contest with Kansas City. Meanwhile, the Chiefs face Jacksonville that Sunday and will have a regular week of work before New England.

b) Monday, Nov. 26 — Titans at Texans. The Patriots Alumni Game. Mike Vrabel against Bill O’Brien. Romeo Crennel scheming to stop Dion Lewis. Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan trying to find a way to slow O’Brien’s offense.

c) Sunday, Dec. 9 — Steelers at Raiders. The week before New England-Pittsburgh. Will the Steelers be in the midst of a late-season fade, or looking past Oakland to a date with the Patriots?

c) Sunday, Dec. 16 — Lions at Bills. Is it too far-fetched to suggest that Matt Patricia and Detroit might be able to officially knock Buffalo out of the playoff picture in this Week 15 contest?

e) Sunday, Dec. 23 — Eagles at Rams. No real Patriots’ connections here — it could ultimately determine home-field in the NFC. If this one is half as good as last year’s game, it should be a lot of fun.

9. Had a good chat earlier this week with former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for a piece that will be coming down the road, but I wanted to ask him about Andrew Luck’s possible return, as well as the future of the rivalry between the Colts and Patriots. On Luck — who was still not even throwing full-sized footballs as he continued his return from shoulder issues — Hasselbeck sounded a pessimistic note when it came to 2018. “I’m not a doctor, and I’m not in the training room. But from a distance, as a former quarterback, I’d be very concerned about where he is right now in his rehab based on when he had the surgery and where he says he is right now in his recovery,” said Hasselbeck, who backed up Luck in Indy in 2014 and 2015 before he retired. As for the rivalry being back on, Hasselbeck referenced his experience at Boston College. “In my years at BC, we always considered Notre Dame our biggest rival. For us, every year, that was the game. That was the one that could make or break our year,” he said. “But we weren’t for Notre Dame. Heck, they thought we were just the game before the Southern Cal game. That’s what it’s like for the Patriots — they’re Notre Dame. The Patriots are everyone’s big game. That’s most from the fan bases — the Colts fans, the Jets fans, the Steelers fans, the Broncos fans. They all see them as their rival. The Dolphins are gunning for them. The Bills are gunning for them. Everyone always has the Patriots at the top of their list. I mean, I guess it comes with the territory.”

10. In the wake of the passing of Gil Santos, I went back to my notes for an interview I did with him roughly a decade or so ago that detailed his thoughts about the end of Super Bowl XXXVI. This was a guy who had seen just about everything the franchise had to offer, including the nuttiness of Foxboro Stadium, seasons of futility, and the battles between Bob Kraft and Bill Parcells. When Adam Vinatieri lined up for the game-winner that night in New Orleans, I asked him what was going through his head, and his thoughts went back to Broadcasting 101. “Let them know where the ball is, how long the field goal will be, what hash mark it’s at, who’s snapping, who’s holding, how much time is left. Just describe the play, (just) the way I do any play of any game. Describe the play,” he recalled to me. “Then, after the play is concluded and what happens has happened, that’s when you just let the emotion of the moment and your own brain try to put words together to describe what’s going on. But you just react to it. It’s just reaction. You have to look at it, describe it, and tell them what’s happening. Then you just react.”