Daily news and links for Monday.
TEAM TALK
- Mike Dussault reports the Patriots reached a major milestone in the construction of their cutting-edge training facility with a ceremonial “topping off” this week, marking the placement of the final steel beam atop the structure adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Plus 1 min. video.
- Forged in Foxborough: Episode 1 – Building the Patriots. (73 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Who is Patriots’ third-string rookie QB Ben Wooldridge? Revamped QB room; Three straight games on the road; Milton Williams sets tone; Forged in Foxborough; Teams wanted pick 38; Rhamondre’s heartbreak; More.
- Bernd Buchmasser’s Sunday Patriots Notes: What could a Drake Maye second-year jump realistically look like?
- Steve Balestrieri’s Sunday Patriots News: Forged in Foxborough released; Trayveon Williams, Christian Barmore, Kyle Williams; A look at the Patriots schedule; Most and least rested teams; More.
- Bernd Buchmasser reports the Patriots kick off organized team activities today, with the plan to hold nine OTA sessions over the next three weeks.
- Taylor Kyles explains why he believes the Patriots should win 10+ games. The Texans did it in 2023. The Commanders did it in 2024. Why can’t the new-look 2025 Patriots be 2025’s meteoric rise?
- Tom E. Curran posts a game-by-game breakdown of the Pats’ 2025 season with storylines & subplots for each one.
- Conor Roche reports the Patriots open as favorites in 11 games for 2025 NFL regular season. /Wut??
- Taylor Kyles spotlights two rookies who could help cure the the Pats’ non-existent edge rush and make an impact on the revamped group.
- Christopher Price writes how for two decades the Patriots have had trouble drafting and developing wide receivers. Can Kyle Williams change all that?
- Karen Guregian points out that Patriots ‘gladiator’ Kyle Williams is a QB turned WR. Sound familiar?
- Lauren Campbell highlights Will Campbell showing off his competitive mindset. “You have to love violence to be able to play on the offense and defensive line, and that’s something that I like.” Campbell said in the first episode of “Forged in Foxborough.” “It’s a dog eat dog world. Whenever you’re going out there, it’s either you or him, and I want it to be me every time.”
- Mike Reiss finds out the reason behind Rhamondre Stevenson’s offseason absence, noting New England’s running back Rhamondre Stevenson has had his share of adversity in recent months.
- Sara Marshall explains how the Pats get another reason to be thankful they were able to draft Drake Maye last year.
- Lauren Campbell tells us the Patriots turned down offers from multiple teams for 2nd round draft pick.
- Phil Perry’s Patriots Mailbag: Roster ‘weak links,’ surprise cut candidates and more.
- Graham Wilker talks about how PFF honors Patriots icons in a way that proves just how dominant they were. PFF’s All-Star team made from players from 2000 and beyond features an impressive number of Belichick’s disciples.
- Conor Ryan relays the story of why Bill Belichick spent $5,000 on milk to keep Tom Brady, Antonio Brown happy.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) Mike Vrabel: Focus on what will go right this year, not what went wrong last year.
- Albert Breer (SI) NFL Takeaways: Inside Brock Purdy’s new contract with the 49ers; Plus, NFL playoff seeding, the Olympic debate and more.
- Jonathan Jones (CBS Sports) Pushback on reseeding NFL playoffs? Why proposal to change format makes sense for league.
- NFL Nation (ESPN) Inside the first month of being an NFL rookie. 6th-round kicker Andy Borregales’ included.
- Mike Clay (ESPN) Rookie NFL running back role tiers: Stacking 25 draft picks. TreVeyon Henderson in the “Committee backs” category. /Click for commentary.
- Albert Breer (SI) NFL owners set to vote on major change to playoff seeding, Tush Push ban.
- Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Scouts Notebook: Is J.J. McCarthy the NFL’s biggest wild card in 2025? Plus, five sneaky-good games in the schedule release. Week 15 Bills at Patriots included.
- John Breech (CBS Sports) One good thing and one bad thing every team will face this season. Patriots good thing: The Patriots have a great opportunity to get off to a fast start under Mike Vrabel. One bad thing: Starting in Week 12, the Patriots will face a stretch where three of four games will come against the Bengals, Bills and Ravens and only one of those three games will be at home.
- Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports) Top game for every week of regular season. No Pats.
- Mike Kadlick (SI) Five teams we’d most like to see on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ in 2025.
- Mike Kadlick (SI) Bill Belichick details the three things that made Tom Brady ‘unbelievably great’; There was a method to the madness.