New England Patriots

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne noticed an obvious change with teammate Mac Jones as the team prepares for the 2022 NFL season.

"He's in the best shape of his life," Bourne told reporters Monday. "He looks really good. His stomach is gone."

He added the second-year quarterback is "definitely a lot more in shape than he ever was, just dominating in conditioning."

In the case of a player such as Jones, who now has a full year in the pros under his belt, there's certainly a benefit to having a better understanding of what's required.

Jones said he "probably learned more this offseason than I ever have about my diet, sleep, nutrition, wellness, all that stuff."

The 23-year-old didn't want to slim down too much, though, in order to "maintain my weight and be able to take hits."

Jones exceeded expectations as a rookie. He threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to finishing second behind Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

After winning 10 games and earning a wild-card berth, New England knows it can be a playoff team with Jones at the helm. However, it's still a little unclear where his—and by extension the Patriots'—ceiling is.

A player's draft position certainly isn't the only indicator of their potential, but there was a reason Jones was the fifth QB off the board in the 2021 draft.

The 2022 season will continue to show how much more room Jones has to grow and whether the Patriots have their true successor to Tom Brady.

It's 2022, and here we are still talking about the "Deflategate" scandal involving Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Brady was suspended for four games in 2016 after it was deemed he was "generally aware" that the Patriots were lowering the inflation of game footballs in the 2014 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. 

During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman called "Deflategate" a "full witch hunt" against Brady and his former team.

"I mean, that's some bull. When you look into the facts of this whole thing, both teams' balls were deflated. I think there was a witch hunt, full witch hunt. That was ridiculous," Edelman said. 

Despite Brady's four-game suspension, the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that season with a miraculous 34-28 comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons. 

Count offensive guard Cole Strange among those who were surprised when the New England Patriots selected him with the No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

In an interview with MassLive.com's Chris Mason on Friday, Strange's father, Greg Strange, gave an account of the conversation that occurred when the Pats called Cole to tell him they were drafting him.

Per Strange, the interaction between Cole and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the phone was as follows:

[Cole] said, 'Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful at all, but I've gotta know because I've got some crazy friends. Is this a prank?’ The guy said, 'Hold on just a second.' And then Bill Belichick got on the phone and of course, unless you've been under a rock for the last 20 years, you know Bill Belichick's voice.

As soon as I heard Bill Belichick's voice, Cole and I both started screaming and hugging and acting crazy. Probably saying a bunch of inappropriate stuff. We were so excited. To his credit, you've gotta love the guy, Belichick is sitting there and when we got through, the first break he had, he said, 'Hey Cole, you've gotta act like you've been there, man.' It was classic to us. We absolutely loved it.

Strange going 29th overall to New England was among the most shocking picks in the draft since most draft experts didn't have anything better than a Day 2 grade on him.

That included the Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department, which gave him a third-round grade and ranked him as the No. 98 overall player in the class.

Belichick has long had a penchant for going against the norm and getting players he likes early in the draft, even if most don't have the prospects ranked as high.

Perhaps the most comparable example occurred in 2005 when New England took Fresno State guard Logan Mankins 32nd overall despite the consensus among experts being that he was closer to a mid-round pick.

Belichick got the last laugh, as Mankins was a seven-time Pro Bowler and one-time First Team All-Pro during his 11-year NFL career.

Strange will look to follow in Mankins' footsteps after starring collegiately at Chattanooga, improving his stock during the pre-draft process and shocking pundits by sneaking into the first round.

New England Patriots players have reportedly started to question the direction of the team's offensive coaching staff following the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left to become the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach.

Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported Wednesday on his podcast (via NESN's Dakota Randall) that he's hearing concerns ahead of the 2022 NFL season.

"I've heard from people in the last couple days about what's going on with the offensive coaching staff," Bedard said. "And the initial reports I'm getting back are not good at all. And that includes what they're hearing from the players internally. It's not going in a good direction."

New England head coach Bill Belichick hasn't identified a coordinator replacement for McDaniels or, if that role will remain vacant, named an offensive play-caller.

The Pats' coaches include former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge, former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia and longtime Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown, who retired in 2007 and joined the staff in 2020, among others.

Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire reported last week the team may even hold a play-calling competition throughout training camp, with Judge and Patricia as the early favorites.

The players have also remained coy about the direction of the offense, as illustrated in comments from dual-threat playmaker Ty Montgomery, who signed with New England in March.

"I consider myself an employee of the New England Patriots," Montgomery told reporters Thursday. "And whatever they ask me is what I'm going to do."

Belichick has never been forthcoming with information, but it seems his latest effort to keep opponents guessing has also left his players feeling uncertain.

That's not ideal as the Patriots attempt to put quarterback Mac Jones in position to take a step forward in his second NFL season.

Jones was solid as a rookie, completing 67.6 percent of his throws for 3,801 yards while playing all 17 games, but he has room for improvement after he tossed just 22 touchdowns.

It may be a few more months before fans get an idea of how the Patriots offense will look in 2022.

There appears to be more clarity regarding the role of New England Patriots offensive assistant Joe Judge.

Judge told reporters that he will be working with second-year signal-caller Mac Jones and the team's other quarterbacks. However, the former New York Giants coach added that he is not yet sure who will be calling the plays during the 2022 season.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has identified Judge and Matt Patricia as the leading offensive assistants for the 2022 season, but he hadn't specified their roles. A former Detroit Lions head coach and longtime Pats defensive coordinator, Patricia said Monday that he will be working again with the offensive line.

Judge and Patricia are expected to fill the void of former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. McDaniels acted as the team's play-caller previously.

"Look, I'll tell you directly and honestly right now, nothing has been declared or decided or voiced to me. ... In terms of who calls plays, to be honest with you, that's not the main focus right now," Judge said. "When Coach wants to go ahead and declare a role like that, he'll tell us."

Judge went 10-23 in two seasons as Giants head coach before getting fired in February. He had gotten an up-close look at Jones during a joint practice last team, and he also did extensive research on the 23-year-old leading up to the 2021 draft.

"There's a lot of things you're impressed with: the accuracy, the presence in the pocket, the decision-making, things of that nature," Judge said of Jones. "I like the way he handled and commanded the huddle and team when we practiced against him; that's something that really stood out to me."

The Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots will reportedly hold joint practices before their game during the final week of the 2022 NFL preseason despite also facing off in Week 15 of the regular season.

Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported the news Thursday:

The Raiders hired longtime Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach in January, which was likely a factor in the decision.

In March, New England coach Bill Belichick said he had no problem with McDaniels' departure, which included taking several Patriots assistants with him to Vegas.

"Josh is a great coach. I'm sure he feels like it's a great opportunity; that's why he took it," Belichick told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "Other than against us, I hope he does well. I'm sure he will do well. He's an outstanding coach.

"Some of the people that are with him are very good, too. It all worked out well. It's an opportunity we couldn't provide. He'll be hard to replace, but like I said, I feel like we have really good coaches on staff, and that's what we'll do."

McDaniels also confirmed he spoke with Belichick before asking a few members of the Pats staff to make the move with him.

"Absolutely," McDaniels told reporters. "I have great respect for Bill and that process. Spoke to him directly multiple times about any interest that I had in people that were there. I'll keep those conversations private, but never want to do the wrong things relative to those things."

That lack of animosity during the transition phase combined with their nearly two decades together likely made the decision to hold practices together easier.

McDaniels, who joined the Patriots' staff in 2001 and returned in 2012 after three years away with the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, knows what Belichick tries to do defensively, and the NFL's longest-tenured head coach knows his former assistant's offensive approach.

Joint practices provide a more true-competition feel than a normal team session, especially during the latter stages of the preseason when teammates have been battling each other for over a month of training camp.

In addition, a lot of things are going to change between the exhibition slate and Week 15 of the regular season, meaning there isn't much concern about giving out secrets.

So, while the situation may be a bit unique, it's unlikely to have a tangible impact.

Legendary New England Patriots wide receiver and placekicker Gino Cappelletti died Thursday morning, the team announced. He was 89.

Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft released the following statement:

My heart aches after learning of Gino Cappelletti's passing this morning. For the first 51 years of this franchise's history, Gino contributed as an all-star player, assistant coach and broadcaster. You couldn't be a Patriots fan during that era and not be a fan of Gino's. The Patriots have had many iconic, fan-favorite players over the years. Gino was the first. I remember watching him play in 1960 and throughout his career. He was one of the AFL's biggest stars, becoming the first Patriots player to earn league MVP honors and retiring as the league's all-time leading scorer. He became the second player in franchise history to earn Patriots Hall of Fame induction and I will always believe he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As great of a player as he was, he was an even better person and storyteller. On behalf of my family and the entire Patriots organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Gino's wife, Sandy, their three daughters, Gina, Cara and Christina, and their 10 grandchildren, as well as the many others who will be mourning his loss.

Cappelletti, one of the most versatile to ever play the game, was an original member of the 1960 Boston Patriots of the American Football League. He spent his entire career with the Patriots from 1960-70. 

The Patriots Hall of Famer made 176 of his 333 field goal attempts (52.9 percent) and 342 of his 353 extra point attempts (96.9 percent). As a receiver, Cappelletti caught 292 passes for 4,589 yards and 42 touchdowns. 

He also kicked in two playoff games during the 1963 season, making five of his six field-goal attempts and all three of his extra point attempts, and also caught six passes for 181 yards in those two contests. 

Cappelletti earned five Pro Bowl selections over his career and was the 1964 AFL Player of the Year. By the end of his career, he ranked as the AFL's all-time leader in points and field goals and holds the Patriots' record for most points in a game with 28, which he set in 1965. 

Following his retirement, Cappelletti worked for seven seasons as a Pats broadcaster from 1972-78. He served as New England's special teams coach from 1979-81, before stepping back into broadcasting, where he worked from 1988-2011. 

Cappelletti was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1992. He was the second player to be inducted into the team's HoF, joining John Hannah. 

The New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders reportedly agreed to a trade Thursday that will send quarterback Jarrett Stidham to Vegas.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the deal will see New England send Stidham and a seventh-round draft pick to the Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick.

Following a collegiate career at Baylor and Auburn, Stidham was selected by the Patriots with the No. 133 pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

The writing was perhaps on the wall for Stidham during the 2022 draft when New England selected Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe with the 137th pick in the fourth round.

That put Stidham on the bubble, and rather than letting him compete, the Pats decided to move on.

All signs point toward second-year man Mac Jones and Zappe being strong bets to make the team in 2022 with veteran Brian Hoyer possibly figuring into the mix as well.

When the Patriots drafted Stidham, there was some thought that he would be the heir apparent to Tom Brady, and he even saw limited action in three games as Brady's backup during his rookie season.

After Brady left the Pats for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, there was a period where it looked like Stidham would be the starter in 2020. Instead, New England signed veteran Cam Newton in free agency and gave him the starting job.

Stidham played quite a bit in a backup capacity in 2020, going 22-of-44 for 256 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Newton struggled mightily in 2020 and the Patriots missed the playoffs, which prompted head coach Bill Belichick to select Jones with the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Jones immediately won the starting job, leading to Newton's release. While Stidham was with the team last season, he didn't see any game action.

Now, Stidham will have a legitimate chance to be the primary backup behind Derek Carr in Las Vegas, as he will compete with Nick Mullens, Garrett Gilbert and undrafted rookie Chase Garbers for that role.

He may have a leg up because of the familiarity he will have in Vegas' system since new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator.

Stidham is still only 25 years old and may have some untapped potential McDaniels can unlock.