A lot of good stuff in this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, including why the Patriots may have been inclined to draft LSU’s Danny Etling, as well as why Tom Brady could be headed for a not-so-awesome milestone. We also ask the question: If Trent Brown is at one end of the size spectrum when it comes to franchise history, who might be on the other? But first, we go deep with Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Richard Seymour on playing for Bill Belichick, as well as what he thinks of New England selecting a pair of fellow Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of this year’s draft.
1. Richard Seymour knows what it’s like to be a surprise first-round pick out of the University of Georgia. So it wasn’t a shock to hear he was happy Bill Belichick defied some expectations in the first round of the draft when he selected a pair of Bulldogs last week, taking offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn at No 23 overall and running back Sony Michel 31st overall.
In 2001, with some clamoring for a field-stretching wide receiver, Belichick made Seymour the sixth overall selection. The defensive lineman would go on to become one of the best in the game at his position, playing eight seasons with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls and being named to the AP All-Pro first team three times.
For Seymour, hearing that two more former Georgia stars are headed to Foxborough is a point of pride.
“First of all, it’s a credit to the players,” Seymour told BostonSportsJournal.com. “They positioned themselves over the course of their careers at Georgia to have standout careers. They put in the work, and they earned the right to be first-rounders. I’m sure they were honored to go to a class organization.
“Both were leaders and captains, and big contributors. That’s an honor, playing in the Southeastern Conference. They were able to play at a high level for an extended period of time,” he added. “I think the thing that really stands out for me about the both of them is their leadership qualities, in addition to their ability. They’re both tough and smart. They’re fundamentally sound, and very disciplined. They’re exactly the sort of guys you’d want on your team. I think it’s a win-win all around for the Patriots.”
Both Wynn and Michel should aspire to have the same sort of career as Seymour, who is one of three finalists this year for the Patriots Hall of Fame, along with offensive lineman Matt Light and linebacker Mike Vrabel. Seymour said he was “humbled” to be selected as a finalist.
“I think if you look back, I mean, when you get drafted and if you can be mentioned among the greats of the organization, then, you’re doing something right,” Seymour said of the honor. “To be honest, it’s something I never really thought about when I played, but now, I’m truly blessed and honored to be a finalist.”
2. One other note from Seymour — we asked him a lot of the same questions we asked these guys here about what it’s like playing for Belichick. And he echoed a lot of the same themes — that playing in New England and for Belichick isn’t for everyone. “I think there’s a reason for their success,” he said with a wry laugh. “I also read a quote somewhere that says, ‘When it comes to coaching, if everybody likes you, you’re not doing something right.’ It was pretty clear early on that he wasn’t trying to make friends. It’s not his job to be a cheerleader. He wants to have a team that’s ready to go. I mean, as a player, you need to have a balance. Sometimes, if your team just got blown out, you don’t want to get into them. It’s all about finding that balance.”
He’s also spending a lot of his time as a professional poker player.
“It’s a hobby for me, one that I would say has close parallels to football in terms of the fact that you have to be disciplined, and fundamentally sound,” he said. “You can’t be too high or too low — you just have to be so consistent all the time. It’s something I really enjoy doing. It’s just like football, in that you have to give it your all and pour everything you have into it every time. Unlike football, you can do everything right sometimes and still lose. One of the parts of the game I have to get over is doing everything right, and still losing. That’s one of the really mentally tough aspects of the game.”
3. Speaking of Seymour and the Patriots Hall of Fame, it looks like fellow finalist Matt Light is trying to lobby the fan base. He released an off-the-wall online video this week touting his credentials. Nothing like that from either Seymour or Vrabel, at least right now, but there are still another few days left before voting ends on May 14.
Former Patriots lineman Matt Light asked Denzel Washington for a little inspiration. With enough fan votes Matt will be in the Patriots Hall of Fame. Vote here. https://t.co/9t9OJDW2pd #askdenzel @tresgatosTV @improvasylum @LightFoundation @JuddApatow @TB12sports @985TheSportsHub pic.twitter.com/wSyrkMlVFz
— Corey Rodrigues (@coreyrodrigues) May 4, 2018
4. Spoke with another Patriots Hall of Famer this week in Kevin Faulk — who now works closely with the LSU football program — to get a quick scouting report on seventh-round draft pick, former LSU quarterback Danny Etling. According to Faulk, Etling could very well have landed on New England’s radar because of his Pro Day performance. “He’s a smart kid who makes consistently good decisions with the football,” Faulk said. “But I think the thing that really helped him out was how well he threw at Pro Day. I know that opened the eyes of some of our coaches, as well as the scouts. He was the only one throwing, and he was delivering good, consistent passes the whole time.” That would seem to run parallel to something personnel chief Nick Caserio said after the draft where he indicated that while they often go places to scout a couple of specific players, and another player will occasionally surprise and draw their notice. As for Etling’s career, Faulk says he’s the sort of kid who will benefit from a year in the system — likely as a practice squadder — as a developmental quarterback. “But he’s a smart kid, and you never know,” Faulk added of Etling.
5. Had a conversation this week about Brady and some of his milestones, and while he’s in the top 5 in most major passing categories, he’s also ninth all-time on the all-time list of career sacked leaders. Brady has been sacked 452 times in the regular season in his career — among active quarterbacks, it’s second only to Ben Roethlisberger, who has been sacked 477 times in his career. (By way of comparison, Favre is tops at 525, while John Elway at 516 and Dave Krieg with 494 round out the top three.) The guys who have gotten to him the most? Remarkably, former Buffalo defensive end Aaron Schobel and Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor are tied with 12.5 career sacks of Brady, while old pal Joey Porter has 11. The closest active player to the top of the list is Miami’s Cameron Wake, with 10.5 career sacks of Brady.
6. Dwight Freeney — a guy who has a pretty good working knowledge of how to get after Brady — went on "Undisputed" this week to talk about Brady’s mental approach. "I think the biggest thing with Tom is his mental game as far as stability and as far as his calmness, (that's) the greatest attribute that he has,” he said. “A lot of quarterbacks get rattled in the pocket, he doesn't get rattled," he said. "I don't know if that's because of how comfortable he is in the pocket or how well he knows his scheme and things of that nature, but very few times do I get back there and he's over here trying to duck or dive or get away from me. He's pretty much throwing that ball." For more from Freeney, check out his appearance here.
7. We broke down how new offensive lineman Trent Brown is one of the biggest guys in the history of the Patriots franchise, but that prompted some conversation about who might be the smallest. A quick check of Pro Football Reference reveals a few names, including 5-foot-7, 158-pound wide receiver Wayne Coffey, who was a replacement player in 1987. A more notable name who is in the same neighborhood is “Mini” Mack Herron, a 5-foot-5, 170-pound running back and returner who was part of the team from 1973-75 and had 1,298 rushing yards in two-plus seasons.
8. Strength of schedule judgments can always be a dicey proposition for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that teams change so dramatically from year-to-year that there is ultimately little value in using the record from the previous season as a measuring stick as to where a team would be the following year. That’s why we like Warren Sharp’s approach, which we touched on a little earlier in the week. Sharp uses Vegas win totals, and based on his formula, he says the Patriots and Texans as having the easiest schedules for 2018. One more note about New England and Houston? According to Vegas, their Week One game is one of a few that are still considered “off the board” because of Deshaun Watson’s health status.
9. The Patriots had their reasons not to pick up the fifth-year options for Malcom Brown, Danny Shelton and Phillip Dorsett this week. But the fact that they didn’t means they’ll have three more unrestricted free agent possibilities next offseason, joining an already long list. Stephen Gostkowski, Chris Hogan, Trey Flowers, Shaq Mason, LaAdrian Waddle, Jason McCourty, Marquis Flowers, Cordarrelle Patterson, Mike Gillislee and James Develin are also all set to become unrestricted free agents at the start of the new league year in 2019. It’s a lot for the Patriots to consider. One of the upsides? There are going to be a lot of players on this year’s coming roster that will be motivated by potentially landing a big deal. The two that stick out more than most? Trey Flowers and Mason. If Flowers continues along his current ascent, he will land an impressive contract. But given what guards were making on the open market this past season, Mason could be in line for an excellent payday in his own right. Check out the list of the free agents who got paid this past season here. One thing that’s worth reiterating is that the Patriots may have gotten themselves some insurance against Mason leaving with the selection of Isaiah Wynn in this year’s draft, but there’s no guarantee that if he ends up as the next right guard, Wynn will be able to replicate the work of a borderline Pro Bowler like Mason. Regardless, the decisions will make for an interesting stretch for the New England braintrust.
10. This coming week will be a good one, from our perspective. New cornerback Jason McCourty is scheduled to meet the media Tuesday morning at Gillette Stadium. And the assistant coaches are set to get a rare session with reporters on Friday. We’ll remind people more between now and then, but if there are any worthwhile questions from BSJ commenters, we’ll try and pass those along. Down the road, we’ll get a chance to talk with the Patriots’ rookie class on May 15 and 17, and the first media availability window at OTAs is set for May 24.
Extra Point(s): A belated thanks to Mike Loyko, who was tremendous when it came to our draft coverage. Mike really gave BSJ some great insight and analysis when it came to the process. There are few locals who know the draft better than Mike, and we look forward to his contributions down the road. … And a special shout-out to Peter King of MMQB.com, who is set to move on to NBC Sports. Peter has always been gracious with his time, and a fan of this site. One example: When I was writing a “Will Ty Law make the Hall of Fame?” story several months back, I e-mailed a bunch of voters to get their opinion. Many e-mailed back with relatively quick answers that were a few sentences. Peter answered with a multi-page response with all sorts of detail about whether or not Law had a shot. Gracious with his time and always with a good word, we’d like to wish him success in his new position.