The Quest for 7: Patriots' future, Brady in demand, Links 1.21.20

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. With every fan in the football universe guessing where the Legend will land next year, Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal shares the team he feels has to take a shot at wooing Tom Brady. Greg also hits on other NFL news and thoughts with Super Bowl LIV less than two weeks away.

2. When a 42-year-old warrior goes up against men who could snap him like celery — for 19 years in an arena — and lasts long enough to play with or against one of his former teammate's sons ... that's impressive. Isaiah Houde of Patriots Wire tells us more about this future NFL player. Funny thing is, the Patriots could use reinforcements at the position this kid plays, pretty bad.

3. Mike Dussault of Patriots.com gives his gameplan for the Patriots offseason plans with and without Tom Brady. Mike does a great job of laying out the pros and cons of each scenario. Click the link to see which sideline you would choose.

4. You will be able to tell from my tone who isn't #1. Christian D'Andrea of SBNation ranks all 63 starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. Christian should have based his list on pretty stats. Here are some stats he doesn't mention. Montana won his Super Bowls at a time when the AFC was a joke, and had lost 13 straight times in the big game. How bad was the AFC, might you ask? Two Super Bowls during this stretch were decided by less than a touchdown. Two. Equal surrounding talent against the same defense ... Tom > Joe.

5. Not my thing, but that doesn't mean our readers aren't into it. Conor Roche of Boston.com tells us how ex-Patriots fared in the playoffs this weekend. After the loss to the Titans, many Patriots fans had expressed that they would be temporarily jumping on the Mike Vrabel bandwagon. Now that coach is out, it seems like Jimmy Garoppolo has taken on some of these visiting passengers.

6. In Nick Klopsis of Newsday's 2020 NFL mock draft, he predicts the Patriots going defense with their first-round pick. If a certain New England defender decides to split in free agency, Nick's selection would definitely be in need. If you have a specific player in mind you'd like to see the Patriots select, Bobby Sylvester of Fantasy Pros' has a grading system for you to see where your draft hopeful ranks.

7. Adam London of NESN shares a light-hearted piece that is sure to make you chuckle. Patriots starting center David Andrews shares a story from his rookie season when he had to share a punishment with this Patriots veteran. If you truly try to put yourself in David's shoes, it's easy to feel why he was in awe.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

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

The world rains hypocrites, and I can no longer stay afloat. I had been refusing to acknowledge Spygate 2.0, to make certain I had zero part in giving this comedy traction. Fact: If the Redskins scouting staff had taped the Bengals sidelines, no one would give a wet fart. Haters say, "It's because of the Patriots track record!" Please. San Diego Chargers towel scandal. Crickets. Jerry Rice admits on live TV he and others used stickum. Crickets. Then this...

Probably because I was refusing to take in football like a big fat baby being force-fed mushed peas, somehow I missed an article by Kevin Seifert of ESPN explaining how five years later, the Deflate-gate scandal has aged poorly for the NFL. (Thanks for this heads-up, Patsjam!) Oh. How nice of you, ESPN. Half a decade later, you address this farce, and still screw it up. Not one mention of your garbage report on the Patriots having 11 of 12 footballs "significantly underinflated" being a complete lie? ESPN broke this story immediately after the game and everyone outside of New England became judge, jury, and executioner. Seconds later: guilty. Off with the Patriots head! Since then, every argument has been made to discredit the Patriots' otherworldly success. Here you go, Haters. Patriots' 6 Super Bowls + ************************** = 6 Patriots Super Bowls. I'll add more asterisks if you like. But you know what? These amazing championships are real and they are never going away. Just like your jealousy.

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!