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. After this Patriots loss, it's easy to point the finger at a certain narrative, (Derrick Henry ran all over them) or a jarring play that grabs headlines, (Edelman's crucial drop, Brady's pick-six.) But leave it to Boston Sports Journal bigwig, Greg Bedard, to show us Belichick's familiar approach largely worked, but was burned on key TD drive. What a shame. Bedard explains how this could have been an easy fix, but ultimately it was a crucial factor in temporarily dropping the Patriots into the Pit of Misery with other lowlifes like the Jets, Bengals, and Steelers. Dilly Dilly.
2. Still on the hunt for my daily glass-half-full serving, and for the second day in a row, Chad Finn of Boston.com brightens this gray New England winter with Why Tom Brady should not — cannot — play for another team. Right now, there are a million Brady stories, but this one offers an angle I have yet to read, and makes me want to pick up a megaphone and possible restraining order to make sure Sir Brady has taken this into consideration. "Hurt Mr. Brady? I assure you, officer, the GOAT has never been so safe with me this close. Ow, ow, ow, these cuffs are tight!"
3. Like trying to figure out the complicated timeline for the complete Star Wars saga, Bill Barnwell of ESPN puts together 30 events that lead to an early Patriots playoff exit. The difference is this year's Patriots' story doesn't conclude with dancing Ewoks and smiling Jedi. It ended with Vader surviving, using his lightsaber to sever limbs and droids while bringing Emperor-slavery to the entire galaxy. Fudge.
4. In my Salty Tears Take of the day, the giddy Louis Bien of SBNation writes The Patriot's playoff loss gives the NFL, and all fans, hope for something new. I can picture Louis now, at a Super Bowl party with acquaintances who barely know him or anything about that weird game with the funny shaped brown ball, asking questions like, "Why is someone running slanted?" Until one of his friends says, "Well, at least that Patriot team with the handsome thrower and grumpy manager aren't playing!" garnering a group laugh. Just know, Louis, your chums who know nothing about football, knows exactly who the Patriots are. #SayTheirName
5. Normally Patriots fans cackle at the other disappointed fanbases who turn to free agency and the upcoming draft because their team, well ... sucks. Huhhhh. Not this year. We pull up a seat at the losers table, (what's that smell?) and scan through predictions on who the Patriots might take with their 23rd overall selection. Justin Herbert of CBSSports gives his 2020 NFL mock draft, while Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News shares his NFL mock draft 2020.
6. While we're on the subject, Sam Minton of Fansided skips the mock draft malarkey by grabbing Belichick's throat and yelling It's time to go for Tua Tagovialoa! The "Tank for Tua" T-shirts may have jinxed the poor kid, but perhaps his misfortune leads to him slipping through the cracks of the top 20, where the Patriots can snatch him up. Because of his injury, he'd need a redshirt year. Do you think Belichick would have the patience for that? *Coug! Damien Harris! Cough!*
7. This morning, Brady's Instagram bomb created an internet supernova, launching "Breaking news!" alerts like a drunken Redneck on the 4th of July. The NESN staff worked together to show our readers what Patriots players and others had to say about Tom Brady's Instagram post.
Late edition bonus link! Podcast: Bedard talks Tom Brady, Patriots offseason on The Gresh Show 01.08.19
STEVE'S SOAPBOX
The place where Steve gets to give his take of the day from the perspective of a Patriots fan.
Be on the lookout for more The Quest for 7 features, leading into what is hopefully another epic Patriots' Super Bowl run.