Pats Notes: Forte, Gronk
Before signing a three-year, $12MM deal with the Jets in free agency last March, running back Matt Forte also drew interest from the AFC East rival Patriots, he told Connor Hughes of NJ.com Wednesday. The Pats’ attempt to woo him came too late, however. “My agent told me they called. I asked if they talked about anything, and he said they just wanted me to come for a visit,” said Forte. “I said I’m already here about to sign, so, I didn’t feel like that would be right.”
Before signing a three-year, $12MM deal with the Jets in free agency last March, running back Matt Forte also drew interest from the AFC East rival Patriots, he told Connor Hughes of NJ.com Wednesday. The Pats’ attempt to woo him came too late, however. “My agent told me they called. I asked if they talked about anything, and he said they just wanted me to come for a visit,” said Forte. “I said I’m already here about to sign, so, I didn’t feel like that would be right.”
Forte has been productive in his age-30 season (911 total yards, eight touchdowns), but the 3-7 Jets are out of playoff contention and the 8-2 Patriots are the division’s top team. Statistically, New England’s No. 1 back, bargain signing LeGarrette Blount, is having a better season on the ground than Forte. Blount has piled up 802 rushing yards (compared to Forte’s 732) to go with a slightly superior per-carry average (4.0 to 3.9) and 12 scores.
- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is not expected to play Sunday against Forte’s Jets, per Dianna Russini of ESPN (Twitter link). Gronkowski suffered a perforated lung Nov. 13 in a loss to the Seahawks and missed the Patriots’ win over the 49ers last week as a result. The all-world weapon has sat out a total of three games this year, but New England hasn’t yet lost without him.
Josh McDaniels: I’d “Love” To Be A HC
Recently, a report indicated that Josh McDaniels was planning to hang around in New England so that he could succeed Bill Belichick. Today, McDaniels refuted that notion on a conference call with reporters. 
“I’m aware of the report and I’ll try to clear that up,” McDaniels said (transcript via Patriots’ website). “I definitely said it before and I’ll say it again: I definitely would love to be a head coach again. There are only 32 of those in the world. They’re opportunities that don’t come along very often, and if you would ever be so fortunate and blessed to have another opportunity to do it, and for myself it would be for a second time, it would be an opportunity that I would look forward to. It would have to be at the right place at the right time, which is what I’ve always said. I try to make decisions [based on] what’s best for my family and myself. Again, somebody would have to offer that opportunity. You’re lucky if you get that. That’s my mindset.”
The NFL Career Development Advisory Panel released its preliminary list of 2017 coaching candidates and McDaniels was not included. Now, McDaniels is likely to be viewed as one of the top HC candidates in the league. McDaniels’ stint as a head coach in Denver did not work out, but he was just 33 when he was hired. Still young, but far more experienced at 40, McDaniels has once again established himself as one of the league’s best offensive minds.
It’s hard to see Belichick as anything other than a coach and McDaniels probably agrees. He will pursue head coaching gigs this spring and the right opportunity could take him away from New England.
Details On Alan Branch's Suspension
Alan Branch‘s four-game suspension for marijuana implies that the Patriots defensive tackle has tested positive for pot four separate times, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe points out (via Twitter links). In total, the suspension will likely cost Branch about $1.13MM and could hurt his market when he reaches free agency this spring. Branch also has a DUI from 2014 on his record, which isn’t a good look in free agency.
Patriots DT Alan Branch Suspended Four Games
Patriots defensive tackle Alan Branch has been suspended four games for violating the league’s drug policy, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The veteran tested positive for marijuana, and Schefter relays that Branch will appeal the suspension. This is the second time this season that Branch has been suspended, as the lineman was disciplined by the Patriots during the preseason for violating team rules.
The Patriots will certainly miss the 350-pound lineman. Branch has played 420 snaps this season, which leads all Patriots defensive tackles. The 31-year-old was actually having a career-year in 2016, having compiled 33 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. If Branch misses time, the Patriots will lean heavily on second-year defensive tackle Malcom Brown. The team could also turn to a pair of rookies in Vincent Valentine and Woodrow Wilson. NESN.com’s Doug Kyed tweets that the Patriots could also look at free agents to fill the hole, including Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn.
Branch, a 2007 second-round pick, has had a bit of a tumultuous career. Before joining the Patriots, the defensive tackle was cut by the Bills following an arrest for a DUI. Branch subsequently signed with the Patriots, and he played a role in helping the team win the Super Bowl. The team rewarded the lineman with a two-year extension, but he showed up to the following training camp out of shape and overweight. The tackle still managed to have a relatively productive season in 2015, finishing with 35 tackles and one sack.
Martellus Bennett Will Be Offseason Priority For Pats
The Patriots will have a number of important decisions to make regarding their own free agents at the end of the season, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the club will make Martellus Bennett a top offseason priority. Acquired earlier this year in a trade with the Bears, Bennett has been everything that the Patriots have hoped for, and they have been especially impressed with the way he has battled through injury. As Rapoport notes in another tweet, Bennett will be rewarded for his performance.
Bennett has put together a very strong and efficient season, nabbing 38 of 47 targets for 504 yards and four touchdowns. Given his production and durability, combined with Rob Gronkowski‘s persistent injury problems, it makes sense that the Patriots would seek to lock Bennett up on a long-term basis. Plus, after trading Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, and considering the struggles of Jabaal Sheard, there are fewer and fewer players that the Patriots will need to worry about re-signing at season’s end.
The tight end position is exceedingly important to the success of the Patriots’ offense, so it would not be a surprise to see Bennett land a lucrative multi-year deal even though New England is already paying Gronkowski $9MM per year (a contract that the team may also need to revisit). It is difficult to envision Bennett hitting that $9MM average annual value, but he could certainly be in line for a contract that pays him $7-8MM per year, which puts him alongside the likes of Greg Olsen and Dwayne Allen.
Now for a couple more notes out of Foxborough:
- Greg A. Bedard of SI.com explores how the Patriots can fix their defense, whose weaknesses were exposed by the Seahawks last week. Bedard believes the Pats need to evaluate rookie Elandon Roberts in the MLB role in the next three games, and if he struggles, Dont’a Hightower may have to return to a full-time MLB role. Also, New England will need to settle on a rotation at both end and tackle and sort out roles in the secondary.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com did not indicate that defensive coordinator Matt Patricia‘s job is in jeopardy, but given the quality of personnel on defense entering the year, Reiss believes it is fair to expect more from the unit, and it will be interesting to see how Patricia and his group respond in the coming weeks.
Patriots Travel To San Francisco Without Jabaal Sheard
The Patriots traveled to San Francisco without Jabaal Sheard, with the defensive end being left in Massachusetts in what is being called a team decision, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports.
The veteran defensive end does not appear on this week’s injury report, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports this is indeed a performance-based decision. This could well point to the team deeming the pass-rusher a healthy scratch. Sheard saw his playing time drastically reduced against the Seahawks and may now reside on the fringe of the Pats’ edge-rushing contingent.
Playing in just 16 snaps against Seattle compared to taking part in more than 70 percent of New England’s defensive plays in the team’s first eight games this season, no fewer than 35 in any previous contest, Sheard has evidently seen his status change as he enters a stretch run of a contract year. Playing on a two-year, $11MM deal, the former Browns defender is one of the many in the Pats’ glut of 2017 free agents-to-be, and this decision may illustrate where he factors into that pecking order.
Sheard’s 3.5 sacks leave him just shy of his 2015 pace, when he collected eight in a lesser role for a team stocked with better pass-rushers. But he hasn’t thrived upon being given a bigger workload on a team that misses Chandler Jones and one that saw Rob Ninkovich‘s games-played streak end due to suspension and injury.
New England ranks 25th with 16 sacks this season. As a team, the Patriots are well below their 2015 level as a pass rush. Their 49 last season ranked behind only the Broncos, and the team traded away its sack leader in Jones and No. 4 sack artist in Jamie Collins this year. Their replacements haven’t compensated in this critical area, with Ninkovich sitting on one sack after finishing the past five seasons with between 6.5 and eight.
Three of Sheard’s 3.5 came in Weeks 3-4. He remains second on the team, however, behind Trey Flowers‘ four. No other Patriot has more than two. Flowers played 61 snaps last week, with Ninkovich and Chris Long also seeing more work than Sheard, with 46 and 37 snaps, respectively. Geneo Grissom is the only other defensive end on the Pats’ active roster.
Rob Gronkowski Won’t Play Sunday Vs. 49ers
The Patriots will be without one of the primary offensive weapons on Sunday, as tight end Rob Gronkowski wasn’t on the plane that took the Pats from New England to the Bay Area, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link) had reported earlier in the day that Gronkowski didn’t participate in Friday’s practice and was unlikely to suit up against the 49ers.
[RELATED: Patriots Explored Martellus Bennett Extension]
Reports have differed as to what exactly will keep Gronkowski out of Sunday’s matchup — while initial reports indicated that Gronkowski suffered a punctured lung, subsequent information has revealed that the All Pro tight end may only be dealing with a chest injury. Either way, the ailment is serious enough to prevent Gronkowski from making the cross country trip, but New England will still be a heavy favorite against a San Francisco team that has only managed a single victory.
With Gronkowski out, the Patriots could instead feature their run game on Sunday, especially given that they’re facing a Niners club that ranks 31st in run defense DVOA. Veteran tight end Martellus Bennett will be the direct replacement for Gronkowski, and figures to see a few more targets than he normally would. On the season, Bennett has hauled 38 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/16
Wednesday’s practice squad changes:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Leak (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX59)
- Cut: G Adam Redmond
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL David King
- Cut: DL Earl Okine
New England Patriots
- Signed: FB Glenn Gronkowski
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Kenny Lawler (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Cyril Richardson, QB Josh Woodrum
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Kenny Hilliard
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Arturo Uzdavinis
New England Patriots
- Cut: TE Kennard Backman
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: OL Fahn Cooper
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Kourtnei Brown, RB Russell Hansbrough, OL Kyler Kerbyson
- Cut: S Trae Elston
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Jeremiah McKinnon
- Cut: Cody Riggs
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Dashaun Phillips
- Cut: LB Carlos Fields
Rob Gronkowski To Miss Time?
Following the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks last night, Rob Gronkowski acknowledged that the tackle he took from safety Earl Thomas was one of the hardest hits he ever received. Well, that second-quarter play could cost Gronk some playing time.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Gronkowski suffered “what is believed” to be a punctured lung during the team’s loss and could miss “just one game.” The wording makes it sound like the tight end could miss more than a week, although that’s my speculation.
It is worth noting that Gronkowski stayed in the contest for the rest of the game. And, if it really is a punctured lung, then it’s hard to imagine that Gronk would have been able to play through it. The Patriots are set to travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers this weekend, and Dr. David J. Chao tweets that Gronk may not be allowed to fly with the injured lung. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Gronkowski has a “chest injury” and not a punctured lung. Schefter notes that the injury is “not overly serious.” We should have more clarity on Gronkowski’s situation tomorrow.
Either way, it should be a relief for the Patriots that their star tight end isn’t expected to be sidelined for very long. Despite missing the team’s first two games of the season, Gronkowski has still managed to haul in 25 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. The former second-round pick certainly isn’t a stranger to injuries, as Gronkowski has missed 18 regular season games during his seven-year career.
Gronk wasn’t shy when describing the hit he received from Thomas:
“Yeah, that was a big hit for sure; probably one of the hardest I’ve got hit in my career for sure,” he said (via Will Brinson of CBSSports.com). “(It was) by a good player; a good fast player who’s like a missile.”
“It was a good, clean hit; nothing against it. I just took it and it just knocked the wind out of me a little bit, that’s all. If you’ve ever gotten the wind knocked out of you, you know what that feels like. Just down for about a minute or two, it’s a little tough to breath, but once it comes back, you’re good.”
Fortunately for the Patriots, if Gronkowski does miss time, the team has a solid insurance policy in offseason addition Martellus Bennett. The 29-year-old has been productive during his first season in New England, compiling 38 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns.