by Zack Cox on Mon, Mar 6, 2017 at 10:56AM 1,842 Share this: With free agency set to open this Thursday, NESN.com took a look at the top players expected to be available on the open market. Note: This list does not include restricted free agents or players who have been franchise-tagged. 1. Dont’a Hightower, linebacker, New England PatriotsA well-rounded linebacker with a penchant for making game-changing plays, Hightower is the crown jewel of this year’s free-agent crop. 2. Alshon Jeffery, wide receiver, Chicago BearsJeffery would be the No. 1 wideout on most teams around the league, but his availability is a concern after he missed 11 games over the past two seasons (seven for injury, four for suspension). 3. Calais Campbell, defensive end, Arizona CardinalsThough he’ll
Tag: defensive
NFL Scouting Combine Live: Tracking Defensive Line, Linebacker 40 Times
Share this: 10:03 a.m.: The defensive linemen will run first. Here are their first 40-yard dash attempts. Montravius Adams, Auburn: 4.88 seconds/1.72 secondsJonathan Allen, Alabama: 5.00/1.74Derek Barnett, Tennessee: 4.88/1.70Tarell Basham, Ohio: 4.81/1.68Tashawn Bower, LSU: 4.85/1.69Caleb Brantley, Florida: 5.15/1.78Fadol Brown, Ole Miss: 4.94/1.72Josh Carraway: 4.74/1.71Taco Marlton, Michigan: 4.92/1.73Bryan Cox, Jr., Florida: 4.90/1.74Dylan Donahue, West Georgia: 4.76/1.67Ken Ekanem, Virginia Tech: 4.89/1.68Myles Garrett, Texas A&M: 4.64/1.63Ryan Glasgow, Michigan: 5.14/1.85Davon Godchaux, LSU: 5.27/1.84Daeshon Hall, Texas A&M: 4.76/1.68Charles Harris, Missouri: 4.84/1.65Trey Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic: 4.68/1.62Jaleel Johnson, Iowa: 5.49/2.03DJ Jones, Ole Miss: 5.06/1.76Jarron Jones, Notre Dame: 5.43/1.96Nazair Jones, UNC: 5.12/1.81Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova: 4.83/1.69Carl Lawson, Auburn: 4.82/1.68Jeremiah Ledbetter: 4.85/1.72Malik McDowell, Michigan State: 4.90/1.72 Here come their second heats. Adams: 4.94/1.74Allen: 5.02/1.76Barnett: 4.92/1.70Basham: 4.70/1.61Bower: 4.82/1.66Brantley: 5.18/1.84Brown: 4.97Carraway: 4.76Charlton: 4.92Cox: 4.91/1.74Donahue: 4.80/1.68Ekanem: 4.89/1.71Garrett: 4.74/1.69Glasgow:
Watch Patriots’ Trey Flowers Release Trey The Seal Back Into The Wild
by Zack Cox on Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 8:36AM 1,864 Share this: Trey Flowers’ dominant Super Bowl LI performance cemented his status as one of the New England Patriots’ best defensive players. It also earned him an animal namesake. After Flowers recorded 2 1/2 sacks and five quarterback hits in the Patriots’ win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut announced it had named a 9-month-old rescued harbor seal after the young defensive end. On Tuesday, with a smiling Flowers in attendance, the aquarium released “Trey” back into the wild. Flowers, a second-year pro who lost nearly his entire rookie season to injury, was the Patriots’ most productive pass rusher this season, leading the team with seven sacks. Thumbnail photo via Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports
Patriots Notes: How Goal-Line Defense Helped Turn Tide In AFC Title Game
by Zack Cox on Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 2:11AM 2,003 FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady and Chris Hogan both had fantastically productive performances in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. But two of the most important sequences in the New England Patriots’ rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers came on the defensive side of the ball. The Patriots’ defense mounted two successful goal-line stands, keeping the Steelers out of the end zone on seven plays from inside the 5-yard line. Pittsburgh managed just thre... NESN.com
Jim Harbaugh Races Go-Karts With Five-Star Prospect During Recruiting Visit
Share this: Recruitment trips are serious business for college football coaches, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be fun. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made that apparent on Monday while visiting five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, as the two spent the day bowling and go-karting. According to The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb, Harbaugh did not go on the trip alone. He was joined by defensive coordinator Don Brown and linebackers coach Chris Partridge, as well as another special guest. “Their visit to see Aubrey is something I have never seen on a recruiting trip,” Webb told The Detroit News. “He (Harbaugh) took his daughter with him, which is a two-fold thing. Aubrey has a little sister around the same age as Harbaugh’s daughter so
Devin McCourty Responds To Bill Belichick’s Jab: ‘Defense Wins Championships’
by Zack Cox on Wed, Dec 28, 2016 at 2:56PM 1,467 Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick might have ruffled a few feathers in the defensive meeting room when he declared, unprompted, that defensive players typically play defense because they’re “not good enough to play offense.” Patriots safety Devin McCourty, a longtime captain of New England’s defense, was asked for his take on Belichick’s jab. “I mean, I would say he knows a lot more about football than me,” McCourty said Wednesday. “But I don’t know — I don’t know what he means ‘good enough.’ As in we can’t catch? I don’t know. (Cornerback Cyrus Jones) is pretty good with the ball in his hands. I’m pretty good. Maybe I’m
Broncos Players Had To Be Separated In Locker Room After Loss To Patriots
Share this: The Denver Broncos suffered a frustrating 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, and apparently, it boiled over into the locker room. According to NFL Media columnist Michael Silver, head coach Gary Kubiak asked if any player would like to address the team after the loss. When Russell Okung stepped forward, defensive back Aqib Talib took exception, as the Broncos offense has been underwhelming all season. After a shouting match ignited, Kubiak was forced to intervene and separate the players involved. “Pretty much your classic offense vs. defense divide,” as one Denver player described to Silver. Despite being one of the central players involved, Okung understood where the defensive players were coming from. “I definitely understand their frustration,” Okung told NFL.com. “They played