The Quest for 7: Patriots H.O.F. News, Titans Insight, Links 1.3.20

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.

LATE BREAKING BONUS ADDITION: ESPN’s senior insider, Adam Schefter is reporting that former Patriots defensive lineman, Richard Seymour, is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist. This will be a perfect launching point for today’s edition of STEVE’S SOAPBOX. Congrats, 93!

1. Rocky Bedard and Ivan Kuharsky continue to throw haymakers in their fight to inform Patriots and Titans fans on everything they need to know about Saturday night’s battle. Paul Kuharsky jabs with View from Nashville: In Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith, Titans have a trio no one wants to tackle as Greg Bedard counters with an uppercut in When it comes to bouncing back, Stephon Gilmore has it covered. Bedard can’t see! Cut him, Mick!

2. Seeing how I can’t find a single soul outside of New England who’s picking the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, I’m connecting you with ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s guide to How all 12 teams can win the Super Bowl. For the first time in forever, the Patriots don’t have to Jedi mind trick themselves into slapping down the “Disrespect Card.” Where’s the great Rodney Harrison when you need him? I can tell you where he isn’t and should be … wearing a gold jacket in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. The local knowledge provided by insiders like Bedard and Kuharsky is usually the most true and telling, but it never hurts to get a neutral opinion from an outsider. Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com offers a Patriots-Titans: AFC Wildcard Weekend preview and his prediction for the big game.

4. In my Salty Tears Take of the day, Dennis Young of The New York Daily News wrote about how play-by-play “professional” Kevin Harlon announces Patriots’ choke job live during Chiefs game. Only thing missing was Kevin “Hardo” yelling, “Ah ha, Patriots! Screw you!” So much for national analysts being unbiased. Of course, all of us Patriots fans know this is a joke, especially when we listen to Dan “Never-Went-to-a-Super-Bowl” Fouts call a New England game. I used to get mad at this crap, but then I realized it’s far better to be great and hated, then be a loser who no one cares about.

5. I don’t just frolic through the Cotton Candy forest in glee when it comes to my beloved Patriots. I do love me some hard-truth, and Danny Kelly of The Ringer offers plenty in his respectful-to-our-dynasty piece The Patriots have more to overcome than ever before. It details how the Patriots' current team — warts, beauty, and all — ended up in a less than ideal situation. Kuharsky’s View From Nashville: When the Titans' offense became the Titans' offense, is a nice counter article to how Ryan Tannehill and his surrounding cast rounded into form leading the Titans to a well-deserved playoff berth.

6. There’s good news and bad news for Josh McDaniels fans. The bad: it feels like the Visor is a legit 99% gone. The good: It guarantees Bill Belichick is staying because if the Hoodie was planning to retire behind the scenes, you know McDaniels wouldn’t be going anywhere. Pat Pulpit’s own Bernd Buchmasser gives us his take on Patriots allowing Josh McDaniels and Joe Judge to interview for head coaching positions, so what comes next?

7. I don’t want to reveal the title of John Breech’s piece for CBSSports, because it’s a truly shocking number, and I don’t want to spoil it. Saving this for last, just in case this is my last Quest for 7 with Tom Brady in a Patriots uniform, and I soon find myself in a cushy white room wearing a matching colored little-too-tight jacket where I can't seem to move my arms. Excuse me while I lose my dinner.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

The place where Steve gets to give his take of the day from the perspective of a Patriots fan.

Felger & Mazz love the term, “Use your eyes.” Even though stabbing myself in said eyes with a fork is less painful than agreeing with the 98.5 The Sports Hub super-hosts, the saying applies at times. Like when Patriots players get robbed.

To don the golden jacket for a pass into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, wayyyyyyy too much emphasis is placed on Pro Bowls made, and Super Bowls won. Even stats take a back seat. (WR Lynn Swann 366 receptions, 5462 yards 51 TD’s, is in.) Forget about these numbers getting you into your fantasy league’s Super Bowl, you’re making the Toilet Bowl. Yet, one Patriot from this run is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Ty Law. Face-palm emoji.

To this day, Rodney Harrison, Teddy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, and Troy Brown can’t sniff this honor. Is suggesting Brown ridiculous? Yup. But if Swann’s in, why not Troy? Brown was the balls. Uber-clutch. So were Bruschi, McGinest, and Harrison — all top 7 players when the G.O.A.T. dynasty started. So yes, Brown’s a stretch. But Rodney, Teddy, and Willie? They belong. Period. They lack Pro Bowls, (Geez, I wonder why they didn’t get many votes?) and they didn’t have gaudy numbers thanks to a “Team” based system.

Congrats Richard Seymour for being a finalist. You better get it!

As for the others? “Hey Canton! USE YOUR EYES!”

 

Bonus link from Darin Pike of Bleacher Report: 22 NFL Hall of Famers who don't deserve to be in Canton.

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