The Quest for 7: Patriots podcasts, Brady tug-of-war, NFL stars likely to be cut, Links 2.13.20

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. Nick Caserio seems to be on his way back to head the Patriots' personnel department next season, and Greg Bedard asks the relevant questions ... why did he punt on free agency, and will his title change?

2. In case you missed it, Bedard joined a couple of podcasts to talk all things Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Robert Kraft. Check out Bedard on Chad Dukes' radio shows, and Orlando Alzugaray's Big O Show. These two drill Greg for the inside scoop to what is going on inside the heads of The Big Three.

3. If you just woke up from a coma and would like to catch up on the TB12 saga from the past month, Mike Reiss of ESPN answers what will happen if Brady and the Patriots decide to split up ... or stay together. Is the "Dynasty" over? Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Patriots' lives. #OldPeopleSoapOperas

4. These NFL stars might be under contract at the moment, but Christian D'Andrea of SBNation thinks the veterans on this list may get cut this offseason. Brady coming back might go a long way in some of these players redeeming those take-less-to-chase-a-ring coupons found at your local Stahp & Shahp.

5. All year, there were two puzzle pieces (Shelton and Guy) who fit perfectly, then there were several others who felt like they were forced together with a sledgehammer. Zack Cox of NESN believes there could be big changes coming to the Patriots defensive line in 2020. Whoever is in or out, let's just hope next season's puzzle has all the right pieces and is complete.

6. Like when your buddies slide a shot you detest in front of you, it's tough to swallow hearing a former Patriot give a brutal assessment when it comes to Brady's return. Jordan Dajani of CBSSports gets into why Christian Fauria is destroying Pats fan's hopes by predicting a divorce is coming between the GOAT QB and GOAT Franchise. Maybe Christian can come to my grandson's next birthday party, so he can ruin that too?

7. With arguably the worst cast of wide receivers since 2006, Patriots' fans and Brady's subconscious are clamoring for major upgrades. Kevin Hanson of Sports Illustrated ranks the top-30 WR's in April's upcoming NFL draft. Having three swings in the 3rd round, I'd like to see Belichick take a big Mookie Betts' hack for the fences and take one of these kids. (Too soon?)

Bonus: This is pretty cool. The Patriots.com Staff put together highlight clips from many of our beloved stars over the past 20 years while they went through their workouts at the NFL combine. Many of last year's rookies and golden oldies like Devin McCourty are included. Warning: if you'd like to watch Brady’s 40-yard dash, make some popcorn, snuggle into your most comfortable chair, and fill your Big Gulp cup. You'll be there a while.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

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

Talk about spoiled-brat problems.

A thought hit me recently with the subtlety of a wrecking ball to the face. I inflicted a self-induced nightmare on myself — Imagining Brady's departure — then daydreamed about the Patriots winning the Super Bowl without him. I genuinely played the scenario in my head and came to a surreal conclusion: it just would not feel as good as the first 6 championships. About 95%? Yup. But not quite the same. Would I still fly up to Mass to watch my Patriots in the big game with family and friends? Yup! Would I fulfill my tradition of breaking one piece of furniture before running through the neighborhood in nothing but shorts, ending with me making snow-angels in my best friend's front yard celebrating a Patriots Super Bowl win? Yup! But if I'm being completely honest, it would feel like a little something was missing. Wow.

Then I imagined Brady winning on another team. The pie chart would be colorful: anger, regret, heartbreak, denial, all taking up nearly the entire pie. But at about 2%, that sneaky little sliver, would be me pumping my fist while rooting for Brady to shove that 7th ring up everyone's you know what. I feel so alone. So dirty. What have I become?

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