The Quest for 7: Patriots news, links, and updates 12.24.19

Morning! Welcome to The Quest for 7, where volunteer writer, Steven Viner, scours the net for seven Patriots related articles from other sites offering different points of view on the six-time champs. Paid subscribers not only get to read all seven, but they also get to check out his always fiery "Steve's Soapbox" at the end.

1. A stretch where the Patriots offense looked like the 11 Stooges had everyone dissecting Moe Brady and his supporting cast for solutions. Luckily last Saturday, Ruthless Brady came back, turning Buffalo's ferocious 2nd rank defense into a herd of adorable baby Yoda's. The six-week-long alarm over the offense was a distraction, making most of us take the other side of the ball for granted. Now that Patriots fans can calm down a bit and think rationally, let's focus on the true key to them winning Super Bowl LIV in six weeks: the defense. It's crucial for the strength of this team to perform at its apex with the playoffs looming. In Greg Bedard's Breakdown I: For third straight (real) game, defensive playcalling almost cost the Patriots, he examines a potential Achilles heel for the Boogeymen and other factors, mostly good, some troublesome, that can only be found through hours of film study.

2. A light-hearted and amusing story circulating recently is Patriots legend Tom Brady Jr. sending Tom Brady Sr. to his room for a timeout. The article by Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports about how Tom Brady tried to ban father from speaking to the media: 'When he speaks, (everyone) thinks I'm speaking' brought a chuckle out of most. When you help create Superman, it's sometimes lost on others that Tom Brady Sr. is human, and a regular dad like many of us. So like most father's, the old man sticks up for his son, and sometimes the fan in him leaks out unsolicited info, leaving Junior palm-slapping his forehead. (Let's all say a quick prayer Peyton Manning never attempts this. The earthquakes would be catastrophic.) When reading this, I picture TB Senior giving a reporter a bit too much opinion, and the next day cringing when the phone rings and his caller I.D. reads: SON.

3. Our very own Hector Longo had his own take on both team's defensive performances on Saturday. While Greg Bedard's piece offers facts and playcall insight on the Boogeymen, Longo busts out the napkins to wipe the A-for-effort ice cream from the Bills' chin. If you missed it, check out A tale of two defenses: Belichick's Patriots pounce, McDermott's Bills absorb another lesson. His humor on Buffalo's "moral victory" is hysterical and a must-read.

4. In my Salty Tears Take of the day, (Think I'll make this a regular addition to The Quest) Doug Farrar of msn.com features a well-written, but mopey crybaby story about how Patriots receiver Julian Edelman admits to faking head injury against the Bills. I can picture my millions of readers, (okay, more like 12 and a half) rolling their eyes and sighing. How many times has Tom Brady and the offense marched down the field in the no-huddle, hurry-up offense, only to hear the whistle of a referee stop TB12 from taking the snap? The camera pans over, and sure enough, there's a defender on the turf, grabbing his leg. Next thing you know, Jesus himself comes down from Heaven and touches the defender's wounded leg, who then miraculously returns to the game, running like a cheetah, (pun intended.) And don't get me started on how all players in basketball, football, and hockey occasionally act like they've stepped on a grenade to draw a call. My advice, go into reading this article with a giggly attitude and snicker at the salty tears dripping down your phone and laptop screens from Mr. Farrar's words.

5. For the, "Let's all hope this is an important story three years from now" category, Hayden Bird of Boston.com tells us how Patriots players have noticed improvements from Jarrett Stidham in practice, and why the Patriots' future at quarterback after Tom Brady might not be abyss-black, but more like pretty-frickan-dark.

6. In a story that has more lives than an army of cats, an attempt-at-redemption tale of Will Antonio Brown ever return to the pros. Inside his complicated legacy, was written by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The piece paints a picture of the troubled superstar finally recognizing the thousands of burnt bridges he has left in his wake, and his efforts to seek help. Read the article and judge for yourself. Or skip it if you're sick of the subject. Wouldn't blame you one bit.

7. To end on a lighter note, how about John Hanna— I mean, Tom Brady, leading N'keal Harry on a reverse, sprinting down the field like a giraffe with three legs, before pancaking Bills' cornerback Tre'Davious White. Matt Dolloff of 98.5 The Sports Hub touched on how Tom Brady pokes fun at himself about his block on N'Keal Harry reverse. A more detailed piece explaining how the offense as a whole worked much better and also highlighted Brady's ballsy block is Greg Bedard's article on how Total unit effort gets Patriots' offense back on track in big win over the Bills. It's okay to have a chuckle about it now, but I'm sure I'm not the only Patriots fan whose sphincter tightens when he sees Brady pull a stunt like this. But what can you do? He's the ultimate competitor, and it's one of the million reasons why he's the G.O.A.T., the whole G.O.A.T. and nothing but the G.O.A.T. Watch this video at your own risk. Literally the scariest thing you'll ever see, (and I don't just mean the quality.)

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/20191223_232722-1.mp4"][/video]

 

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

It's one thing to apologize because you see the damage you caused, and the shame inside physically hurts. It's another to say sorry because if you don't, you won't get something you want. I truly hope Antonio Brown turns his life around, as society already has too many bad dudes lurking about. The article above is convincing if you didn't know who it was written about. But Brown went out of his way to show the world his epic levels of selfishness. I find it hard to believe that he'd own up to anything, or seek a second of help, if he was on an NFL team, and lighting up fantasy football scoreboards everywhere. I believe he says he's sorry because his agent Drew Rosenhaus tells him he has to, or all of his nice things will be taken away. I'd be a liar if I told you that I didn't have brief moments of weakness where I wished the Patriots had taken him back. Writing this makes me want to hop in a scolding hot shower and replace the facecloth with steel wool, but I'd be doing the BSJ a disservice if I avoid the tough topics. Watching Brady struggle in what I pray is not his last year with the Patriots, ate at my soul, and brought out the worst in me, even if it was only for a second here and there. And for that, I am ashamed, but unlike Antonio Brown, I am truly sorry.

Be on the lookout for more The Quest for 7 features, leading into what is hopefully another epic Patriots' Super Bowl run.