Welcome to the Two-Minute Drill, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related offseason news you need to start your Friday. Grab your mochaccino or whatever, and let's boogie...
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This is where we are in the Tom Brady Sweepstakes.
There are actual indignant calls for the 49ers to answer ... let me see ... speculation that they might be willing to replace Jimmy Garoppolo with Tom Brady.
Not a report naming a 49ers source saying the team has interest. Not even whispers around the league the 49ers and monitoring the situation.
Educated speculation (but really good and smart dot-connecting by Tom Curran ... while I had the 49ers on my list of teams that could come out of the woodwork for Brady, I wish I was smart enough to actually write a story on it).
That's not how this works.
Mike Florio loves to demand this and that, but if every team responded to theories about their team, they'd never stop. It's a very slippery slope. Sure, you want to quell rumors that could affect the delicate balance in the locker room, and you'd especially want to protect your franchise quarterback, but you can't answer any rumor or innuendo.
But they could stop any of the talk by just denying it!
Denying what? There's nothing to deny. That's the point.
At the scouting combine, the 49ers left no doubt that Jimmy Garoppolo is "our guy." That's a direct quote. You know, something that could actually be disputed or answered. And that's their standing answer to every single question about Garoppolo's future with the team ... from like a week ago.
Kyle Shanahan on why he was impressed by #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo last season. pic.twitter.com/IedmCHudmF
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) February 25, 2020
Oh, but everything's changed because Tom Brady is connected to them now!
Connected how? By spitballing?
Here's the other, most important thing ... I'm sorry, but did news just break Brady is set to become a free agent? Was it just discovered that the 49ers are pretty good and have an inexperienced quarterback who struggled down the stretch in the Super Bowl and his contract allows San Fran to get out? Here's another fun fact for those who might be behind on NFL news: Brady is from the Bay Area, Joe Montana was his favorite player, and Brady was at The Catch Game!
Just to recap: Everyone in the league knew Brady was likely to become a free agent, he would be best on a really good team with a short window, San Fran came up short in the Super Bowl, the 49ers answered questions definitively at the combine about whether they'd move on Garoppolo ... but a week later they need to deny any speculation.
Again, that's not how this works.
I'm not saying it can never happen, or won't happen. Actually, if I were Kyle Shanahan, I would probably make a move for Brady to win a title now, move Garoppolo for a pick(s) then get back to drafting and developing the next guy. And that could very well happen.
But that doesn't mean the team needs to say anything about chatter that has yet to rise to the level of reports. Plus, Brady needs the chatter and the 49ers more than they need him at this point.
In any event...
2. Patriots fans seem to want to avoid him like the plague, but former Bengals safety George Iloka told me that Andy Dalton would be a perfect fit for the Patriots offense and locker room should Brady move on.
3. Charlie Weis told Sirius NFL Radio that Dalton would be the best guy too.
4. I have a Patriots chat this weekend. Lets gooooo...
5. Former Patriots lineman Ryan Wendell was named an assistant offensive line coach for the Bills.
6. Gronk wanted to be ... a Cardinal? Man, he must have loved that party scene at UA.
Around the NFL...
7. Quinnen Williams of the Jets was busted at the airport on a gun charge. Brilliant.
8. How often do you see two good LTs (yes, they're old but still can play well when healthy) like Jason Peters and Trent Williams hit the market? Browns could be in play for either. (I'd take Peters)
9. There's some buzz growing on FIU QB James Morgan. (Fun fact: I covered an FIU game once)
10. The venerable Sid Hartman asks if the Vikings can afford Kirk Cousins.
Extra Point