The Quest for 7: A Patriots Picasso, Key Player Info, 2nd Round Recap, Links 1.14.20

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.

1. Think all Greg Bedard knows is Patriots? Think again! The Head-of-Household for BSJ proves he's as versatile as Martha Stewart, as he Recaps the Titans-Chiefs, 49ers-Packers games. Martha Bedard gets his hands dirty planting a garden of knowledge on how Mike Vrabel's boys took out likely MVP Lamar Jackson. After washing up with homemade soap, Martha-B tightens the apron and bakes up a scrumptious depiction of the real reason Bill O'Brien choked before serving his guest readers handcrafted party favors that explain what went down in the NFC. With the big game coming, don't forget to book Martha Bedard for your Super Bowl Party!

2. My streak of finding positive Patriots stories remains intact. Like dusting off your old favorite DVD and snuggling up with a warm cup of Irish coff—, I mean, cocoa, Mike Lowe of Portland Press Herald can sense fans suffering through Pats withdrawals, so he brings you back to these epic moments. Get ready. You'll be able to sand the floor with your goosebumps!

3. Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire reports on how center David Andrews feels about a possible return in 2020. The saying, "You don't know what you got, 'til it's gone" has never been truer. Coach Dante Scarnecchia found out quick that what Andrews was to the Patriots offensive line, was what Steve Carell was to The Office. Without him, the pass and run blocking swirled right down a Gillette Stadium toilet.

4. In my Salty Tears Take of the day, Noah Ram of the Independent Florida Alligator (Ummm. What?) reports that The Patriots Dynasty may be over. Everyone! Stop what you're doing! You, call CNN! You, call the papers! I'll call the president! Mr. Ram, Hack Kellerman, every other Patriots-hating reporter out there. Just ... shut up. Write an article about this historic run ending after it is clearly done. Predicting the dynasty is over at this point — twenty years going, Tom Brady a fossil by NFL standards — is pathetic and weaker than the four-year-old air freshener in my car. For some extra witty sarcasm, here's Michael Hurley of CBS Boston: NFL seeks 'greatest moment' in history, oddly overlooks every single Patriots moment. Hurley lays the 'casm on thick!

5. With the exception of Boston Sports Journal, no one breaks down film and analytics like Pro Football Focus. Their own, Solomon Wilcots, gives us All 32 NFL coverage defenses through 17 weeks of the regular season. When you see where the Patriots stacked up, make sure you're sitting down with someone close by to fan you. What a waste. Teardrop emoji.

6. Dave D'Onofrio of Boston.com puts together 5 Patriots-focused takeaways from the NFL divisional round. His list of takes is intriguing with thoughts that I have yet to hear, as he managed to take me out of my angry place for a minute or two, until I realized that somehow the Patriots' season is still in fact finished. Now excuse me while I put my Belichick-snarl back on.

7. In one of the greatest pieces ever written about Brady, Don Yaeger of Forbes give us, Even in his absence, Tom Brady reveals the secret to greatness that you might be missing. If you think you appreciate the GOAT now, wait until you check out this must-read. It had me ready to train by Brady's side, through sweat and pain, tears and nausea, pushing myself to limits I had no idea existed until TB12 peeled open the avocado ice cream. Then I tapped out.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

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

If I had hair, I'd pull it out. Kickers boot the ball out of the endzone with the ease of blinking. Punters (especially ours) achieve record hangtime leading to countless fair catches. So why in the hell do the Patriots drop 12+ million in cap space every year on special teams? Pats fans, would you have liked to see Golden Tate (49 Rec, 676 Yeards, 6TDs in only 10 games with basically Greg Bedard at QB) or Jared Cook (43 Rec, 705 Yards, 9 TDs) in this offense? Solution: replace, Matthew Slater, Brandon Bolden, Elandon Roberts, and Brandon King with minimum salary players.

"Slater?! But he's a locker room guy!" Oh. So Brady, Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty, James White, Julian Edelman, and Stephon Gilmore watched over by Bill Belichick, isn't enough leadership? Fine. Keep Slater, get rid of Duron "Lottery Ticket" Harmon. The guy's made a living off batted balls constantly bouncing into his hands as if he has a leprechaun up his rectum. Love deep safeties who are one step too late on every deep throw, (can't remember the last time he broke up a pass 40-yards downfield.) Trust me, Terrence Brooks would be better. Think Tate chooses the Giants if the Patriots offer the same money? C'mon. The "Rob Gronkowski hadn't retired yet" excuse for not signing Cook? Lame. Nab Cook and if Gronk returns, go back to the double tight end days like when we had that other guy we shall not name.

With concussions, the league is doing it's best to make Special Teams extinct. Stop spending 3-million a year on dinosaurs.

Be on the lookout for more The Quest for 7 features. Want more Salty Tears and Soapbox? Click on my name above and scroll down for previous Quests!