New England Patriots

Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Haason Reddick is not happy with New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

After Carolina defensive end Brian Burns got a strip sack, Jones held onto his ankle to stop him from getting away. Burns spent time in the medical tent before returning, but he suffered an injury to the same ankle in the fourth quarter. Reddick thought Jones went too far.

"Definitely thought it was a dirty play,'' Reddick said after the game. "I actually saw and witnessed the play while it was happening."

"At first, it felt like he was trying trip or kick Burns," Reddick continued. "And the next thing you know, I saw him tugging on Burns' ankle. I thought it was completely dirty. Hopefully, it's something the league addresses."

Burns had been trying to recover the fumble, and he twisted to try to get away while Jones held onto his ankle. However, Jones didn't draw a penalty, and Burns was evaluated by trainers before getting helped off the field. The Panthers went on to lose to the Patriots 24-6.

Carolina head coach Matt Rhule also believed that "a foul should have been called."

"I don't want to call out any of their players or anything like that,'' Rhule said. "I'm always gonna protect our guys, and it looked like it was an injury that happened after the play."

Reddick had stronger words for Jones and reiterated that he hopes there will be some punishment from the NFL.

"I understand everybody is out there competing,'' he said. "I understand everybody wants to win. I don't think there is no room for that inside of the game. Everybody needs to be respectful, right? Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt.

"For no penalty, nothing to be thrown, it's egregious, I think it's unfair. I really do hope the league addresses it."

The Panthers will look to bounce back next Sunday in a road game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Stephon Gilmore is opening up about his departure from the New England Patriots, saying he was unhappy with how the team handled his quad injury

Gilmore, who will play against New England for the first time since being traded to Carolina, says his trade to the Panthers helped him get back to 100 percent.  

“I wasn’t ready at the beginning of training camp, I’m going to be completely honest with you," Gilmore told reporters. "The only thing [was] I just didn’t like how they handled my situation with my injury. A lot went on with that that I didn’t agree with and now that I am here, I am able to do the things I need to do to get me back and be ready to where I need to be.

"I learned a lot there and got a lot of friends there, a lot of great coaches. I just didn’t like how they handled my situation with my injury.”

Gilmore suffered a partially torn quad in Week 15 of 2020, leading to him being placed on the physically unable to perform list during training camp. He sat out the Patriots' first four games before being traded to Carolina for a 2023 sixth-round pick.

"We had a conversation and it was better for both of us to go in opposite directions—whether it was the contract, or whatever—it was better for both of us to go our operate ways," Gilmore said.

The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year made his debut with the Panthers last week, recording two tackles and an interception. He'll get a chance to show off where he's at in his recovery Sunday when Bill Belichick and Co. visit the Carolina.

If his first outing with the Panthers is any indication, Gilmore is ready to return to Pro Bowl form ahead of hitting the free-agent market. 

The New England Patriots could be buyers ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline after improving to 4-4 on the season with Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Head coach Bill Belichick discussed his team's handling of the trade deadline Monday on WEEI:

I think this is the time of year that personnel departments always communicate with each other and we've certainly had probably the normal amount of communication with other teams. Whether they have interest in a player or want to exchange a player or maybe they have somebody that they are looking to, if the right opportunity was there, that they would trade that player. So, yeah, those conversations go on.

Belichick noted some trades take place over the course of 10 days of communication while others come to fruition in the final hours, so it's hard to take stock of discussions to this point.

The Patriots' outlook has also changed significantly in recent weeks after winning three of their last four games, with the only loss coming against the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys in overtime. 

New England has also been among the more aggressive teams in the trade market with Belichick at the helm, both as a buyer and seller.

Since August alone, the Patriots have traded away All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore and running back Sony Michel while acquiring depth players in tackle Yasir Durant and cornerback Shaun Wade. 

The team acquired a receiver shortly before the deadline in each of the last two years, but neither acquisition—Mohamed Sanu Sr. and Isaiah Ford—lived up to expectations in New England. 

There are several receivers available once again in 2021, with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reporting DeVante Parker, Darius Slayton and Andy Isabella (who starred at UMass) could all change teams before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

New England could also target offensive line depth after injuries have caused some issues this season. Ten different players have started at least one game on the offensive line for the Patriots, but a trade could help create some stability going forward.  

The New Orleans Saints reportedly have no plans to pursue Cam Newton after Jameis Winston suffered a serious knee injury in Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Newton is not in the Saints' plans. The Saints fear Winston suffered a torn ACL after leaving the game on a cart in the second quarter. 

Trevor Siemian replaced Winston and led the Saints to a 36-27 win over their division rivals.

It's unclear if Siemian will continue to start in Winston's absence or if the team will turn over the reins to Taysom Hill. Siemian has a 13-12 record as an NFL starter, throwing for 5,848 yards and 31 touchdowns against 24 interceptions over his career. While few would call him anything more than a solid backup, he's arguably a lower-variance choice than Hill, who has returned to his gadget role this season.

Hill went 3-1 as a starting quarterback last season in place of an injured Drew Brees, throwing for 928 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions. The Saints' downfield passing attack was greatly limited with Hill in the game, but he's a dynamic rusher at the position who could give the Saints an element they'd miss with Siemian in the lineup.

Hill competed with Winston in training camp for the starting quarterback position. However, it's unclear if he'll be able to immediately take over as the starter after missing the last few weeks with a concussion.

Newton has been a free agent since being cut by the New England Patriots ahead of the regular season. He lost a quarterback competition to rookie Mac Jones after spending most of camp as the presumed starter.

The 2015 NFL MVP says he wants to continue to play and has been vaccinated against COVID-19. A misunderstanding of the NFL's COVID protocols cost him time in the preseason and arguably led to Jones overtaking the starting job.

If you're trick-or-treating in Bill Belichick's neighborhood, showing up to his home dressed like him for Halloween should get you some brownie points.

The New England Patriots head coach told reporters Friday that he has opened his door for trick-or-treaters dressed like him:

A typical Belichick costume would include a headset, sleeveless sweatshirt, sweatpants and some sneakers. This young football fan executed the outfit perfectly last year:

While Belichick probably gets a kick out of the costumes, he likely won't be around for Halloween this year as the Patriots are on the road for a Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Former New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung was arrested Monday in Massachusetts on charges of domestic violence and vandalism.

TMZ Sports reported prosecutors formally charged Chung on Tuesday, and he's due back in court for an arraignment. No details on the allegations were made available, but Chung's official charge is assault and battery on a family/household member, which indicates someone who lives in his home.

Chung was previously charged with possession of cocaine in 2019 but pleaded to avoid jail time. It's unclear if this arrest is a violation of the plea agreement.

Chung spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with the Patriots before retiring earlier this year. He spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles.