New England Patriots

New England Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale reportedly is set to be sidelined to start the 2022 season.

ESPN's Field Yates reported Monday that Ekuale has been suspended for the first two games of the year for an undisclosed reason.

Ekuale is a rotational player on the interior of the defensive line for the Patriots. According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Ekuale earned seven elevations from New England's practice squad throughout the 2021 season, the highest on the team. The Patriots signed the 28-year-old to a reserves/future contract worth a maximum of $1.1 million in January.

After going undrafted out of Washington State in 2018, Ekuale signed with the Cleveland Browns and was eventually signed to the team's practice squad. That December, he received a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.

The Browns removed Ekuale from the practice squad but brought him back in January 2019, and he made the 53-man roster. Ekuale appeared in seven games for Cleveland that season, recording four total tackles. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2020 season and appeared in nine games with five starts, registering 13 total tackles and a sack.

In the seven games he appeared in last year, Ekuale was on the field for 99 defensive snaps and finished with five tackles and two sacks.

Ekuale was likely set for more action in his second year in New England, but this suspension obviously hurts his reputation with the team.

Bill Belichick may not stay out of the coaching profession for too long whenever he leaves his job with the New England Patriots.

Professional Lacrosse League co-founder Paul Rabil said on Pardon My Take that he believes Belichick would be interested in moving to lacrosse.

Rabil also offered a strong endorsement of the future Hall of Famer.

"I feel like he would win within the first three seasons of coaching, if not sooner," he said. "I don't think he really coaches football; he just coaches. He coaches human beings. He's so good at that."

Belichick played lacrosse growing up and continued with the sport when he attended college at Wesleyan University in the early 1970s. He was briefly a volunteer lacrosse coach at Birmingham Detroit Country Day as well when he was an assistant for the Detroit Lions in 1976.

Belichick hasn't given any indication he's ready to hang up his whistle, and he probably relishes the challenge of winning his first championship without Tom Brady.

The dreams of seeing Belichick in the PLL might be just that.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed three deep balls into tight coverage during the team's final practice of this offseason's mandatory minicamp.

Pats safety Devin McCourty described the plays as "haymakers," per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

One of the knocks against Jones in his rookie year was that he managed games well and handled the pressure of playing in the long shadow that Tom Brady cast for every future Patriots' quarterback but didn't necessarily show the ability to beat teams down the field or hit his receivers in tight windows.

Some of that narrative further crystalized after Jones attempted just three passes in a blustery, 14-10 win in December against the Buffalo Bills.

Jones, 23, threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his rookie season, completing 67.6 percent of his passes, and led the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth. He was also a Pro Bowler.

But he struggled in a 47-17 blowout loss against the Bills in the postseason, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns but also was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

One of the questions coming into his second year, then, was whether Jones would take the next step as a quarterback, and whether Bill Belichick and the coaching staff would trust him enough to open up the passing game a bit more.

So far, so good.

"It's just at another level now," receiver Kendrick Bourne told Reiss last week about Jones' growing leadership. "He's more comfortable, more confident. He knows what's going on, and the muscle memory is there [from having gone through it]—OTAs, then camp, and the season. He's just more locked in, more secure in his position."

"He has great energy on and off the field," veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler added. "His confidence, his swagger—I love that about him."

From 2012 to 2017, Matt Patricia helped Bill Belichick run the New England Patriots defense.

Now it appears he'll be running the other side of the ball.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Patricia is "trending" to be the next offensive play-caller in New England, though Bill Belichick has not made a decision.

The Patriots are looking to replace Josh McDaniels, who spent the previous decade as their offensive coordinator before leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coaching job this offseason. Belichick has not formally hired an offensive coordinator in McDaniels' place.

Patricia is currently listed as a senior football advisor on the Patriots website. He began his career in New England as an offensive assistant under Belichick in 2004 before eventually moving up the ranks and becoming defensive coordinator in 2012. The Lions hired him as their head coach in 2018, and he spent three seasons in Detroit before returning to New England last season.

Patricia is joined on the Patriots staff by fellow former head coach Joe Judge, who was fired by the New York Giants after the 2021 season. Judge worked with special teams and the Patriots' wide receiving corps before being hired by the Giants.

Longtime assistant Nick Caley was also expected to be in the running to call plays next season.

Howe reported the Patriots are not expected to change their offensive system much in 2022 but are "simplifying" terminology.

Mac Jones isn't just stepping up in the weight room. New England Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne raved about the second-year quarterback's improvement as a leader during offseason workouts.

"It's just at another level now," Bourne told ESPN's Mike Reiss. "He's more comfortable, more confident. He knows what's going on, and the muscle memory is there [from having gone through it]—OTAs, then camp and the season. He's just more locked in, more secure in his position."

Jones' leadership has been so impressive that he's reportedly a candidate to become a team captain heading into his second season. Jerod Mayo and Devin McCourty are the only other players who have captained the team in their second season under Bill Belichick.

"He connects with all the players really well. I'm proud of that dude, because it's not easy," Bourne said. "Going into his second year after having a year like that, it's going to be a challenge, but he's a guy that likes challenges, like all of us in that Patriot building."

Jones threw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions during his rookie season, leading the Patriots to a wild-card berth. He finished second behind Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase in Rookie of the Year voting and was one of only four players to receive a vote.

While Jones has a long way to go in filling the Grand Canyon-sized shoes of Tom Brady, the Alabama product showed poise in the pocket and accuracy on his passes that make him a strong fit for Belichick's system.

The Patriots will need a major step up in terms of big plays and a cutdown on interceptions for Jones to become a bonafide franchise star, but he's making all of the right moves thus far.

There's a theory that some people with a high intensity level tend to mellow out as they age, but apparently that doesn't apply to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. 

Speaking to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Patriots safety Devin McCourty said Belichick still brings the "same intensity" to his job that he always has. 

"I've always said, when people ask me what's Bill like, that he's the model of consistency," McCourty added. "Showing up to your job every day, having the same attitude, the same messaging, and being able to do that over and over again is hard."

Few players in the NFL know Belichick, who turned 70 on April 16, better than McCourty. He has spent his entire 12-year career with the Patriots after being selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2010 draft.

The 2022 season will mark Belichick's 48th year in the NFL. He began his coaching career as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975. 

Not only is Belichick showing no signs of slowing down, but he seems intent on challenging himself in ways he never has as Patriots head coach. 

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted in March that there's "sort of an open belief leaguewide" that Belichick could be the team's offensive play-caller, or at least have a more significant role in the offense this season. 

The Patriots haven't formally announced who will be their offensive play-caller with Josh McDaniels leaving to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Mick Lombardi, Bo Hardegree and Carmen Bricillo followed McDaniels from New England to Las Vegas. 

"I've called them and I haven't called them," Belichick told reporters last week when asked who would be calling plays for the offense. "Other people have called them and haven't called them. We'll see."

There was similar intrigue around the defense two years ago after Brian Flores was hired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Belichick didn't reveal until midway through the 2020 season that his son Steve Belichick was the one calling defensive plays. 

Despite being 70 years old, Belichick isn't the oldest active head coach in the NFL. Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, who is also 70, was born seven months before Belichick. 

New England is looking to build on last season's playoff appearance. Pro Bowl quarterback Mac Jones is entering his second year in the NFL after throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns as a rookie.