Free Republic

For 24 years, Bill Belichick was the Patriot Way. His legacy of the cold pursuit of winning at all costs made him the most decorated coach of all time, but in the end, it helped unravel the greatest dynasty the NFL had ever seen. ConventionalConventional wisdom said to take a timeout, but Bill Belichick never had much use for conventional wisdom. It was nearly nine years ago, in the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX. The New England Patriots held a narrow lead, but the Seattle Seahawks were 36 inches from a seemingly inevitable touchdown. Seattle had Marshawn Lynch, after...

Two of the NFL’s wealthiest owners had a fiery back-and-forth during a league-wide owners meeting on Tuesday. The 32 NFL owners voted 31-1 for the compensation committee to reconstruct the contract of commissioner Roger Goodell. His contract is said to be up after the season ends, according to ESPN. With the way the votes went, the NFL owners appear to be pleased with the job that Goodell has done since he took over the position from Paul Tagliabue in 2006, according to Bleacher Report. The one outlier who voted against the motion to reconstruct Goodell’s deal was none other than...

Members of the Patriots' TV team were seen recording from the Cincinnati Bengals' press box The NFL hit the New England Patriots with new penalties Sunday after members of their TV team were spotted recording from the Cincinnati Bengals’ press box during a game against the Cleveland Browns last season. The Patriots were fined $1.1 million and will forfeit their third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft as penalties. The league also barred the TV crew from shooting any games during the upcoming season.

There appear to be two significant developments as it relates to Tom Brady's future, which were revealed on Tuesday's The Greg Hill Show by Greg Hill himself. “The Brady suite at Gillette Stadium where (Gisele Bundchen) has been known to watch her husband play football has been cleaned out," he said. Hill added: “It would appear to be, by those who are in the know, that it has been cleaned out in way that perhaps it has never has been cleaned out before.” In addition, Hill said Brady and his family have already moved out of their Brookline, Massachusetts home...

Is Tom Brady thinking this season could be his last? The six-time Super Bowl champion's latest tweet, quoting the Jay-Z track “My 1st Song,” sent New England Patriots fans into a frenzy as he appears to be thinking retirement. “’Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first!’” Brady wrote to go along with several photos of himself participating in minicamp Tuesday. Though the tweet appeared to be fairly innocuous, Brady didn’t offer much of an explanation about the message and it made fans contemplate the end of the quarterback’s career. Brady turns 42 in August and...

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been named as one of those involved in a prostitution sting in Florida, but he’s far from the only one involved, and he may not be the most famous person involved. Adam Schefter said on ESPN that Kraft isn’t the most famous person — there’s someone else whose name hasn’t surfaced yet who’s better known than Kraft. “I’m also told that Robert Kraft is not the biggest name involved down there in South Florida,” Schefter said. There’s no word on who the biggest name is, and it’s unclear why the authorities in Florida would name...

God may not have a favorite football team; however, Pastor Ernie Madden does. That is him standing by the sign and the Patriots snowman that he built in the above picture. We love how the snowman is wearing a Patriots top hat and scarf. Madden is the pastor at Ashland Community Church in Ashland, New Hampshire and is obviously a fan of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, a.k.a the GOAT. So much so, that he put the following verse on his church's sign:

Tom Brady bet on himself this season and lost big. As part of a series of team-friendly deals the three-time MVP has taken from the Patriots, Brady had $5 million in performance bonuses built into his contract for 2018, and he will receive exactly none of that money. Brady was in line to receive $1 million for finishing in the top five in the league in each of passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown passes and passing yards, according to contract data from Spotrac.com. He failed to accomplish any of those.

FOXBORO — It’s Colts week. Finally. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gets his chance to exact revenge on the organization that sparked the controversy that nearly resulted in his four-game suspension for the Deflategate scandal arising out of last January’s AFC title game. Although Brady’s NFL-imposed suspension was overturned in federal court by Judge Richard Berman on Sept. 3, before he had to sit out a single game, it’s fair to conclude that Brady would have a little extra motivation Sunday night in Indianapolis. If so, Brady wasn’t revealing it during his weekly press conference yesterday at Gillette Stadium. Prodded one reporter:...

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowsi questioned President Obama’s decision to crack a joke about deflated footballs at a White House event honoring the Super Bowl champions. Gronkowski indicated that the team was serious as the Patriots spent time with Obama in the White House before the ceremony on the South Lawn. “If they would have put some tunes on, I would have done some dance moves,” he joked. When asked if there was any drinking with the president, Gronkoswi said no, but wondered if Obama had a few before he made his joke about deflated footballs. “There was...

BOSTON (CBS) — The Patriots will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, but the MVP won’t be in attendance. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss and the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, Tom Brady will not be present at the White House due to a family obligation. Brady has attended three previous trips to the White House, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The quarterback earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the third time in his career when he threw four touchdowns in a 28-24 win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. There’s no reason to...

Ah, I'm just joshing with you. Great game. Tebow can actually throw the ball. Granted, the Pats' secondary is among the worst ever to play pro football, but there you go.

Transportation Safety Administration chief John Pistole and several senators from both parties defended the new, enhanced airport security screening procedures as necessary in the face of a persistent and evolving terrorist threat in a hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Pistole, calm and confident in the face of an increasing public outcry against the procedures, talked extensively about the repercussions of last year's attempted Christmas Day bombing being the impetus for the enhanced screenings before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, TSA's oversight committee. "We know the terrorists' intent is still there," Pistole testified. "We are using technology and protocols...

Live thread oppurtunity. Trapped in work, listening to the game on radio in my work vehicle. Any takers......Go Pats

At first blush it's not particularly easy to connect the New England Patriots' spying flap to President Bush, but Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson found a way to do it Friday. "The president has been allowed to spy on Americans without a warrant, and our U.S. Senate is letting it continue," said the New Mexico governor in a statement. "You know something is wrong when the New England Patriots face stiffer penalties for spying on innocent Americans than Dick Cheney and George Bush." Richardson attended high school and college in the Boston area. After the NFL determined the Patriots secretly...

Bill Belichick was hit with a $500,000 fine Thursday night -- the maximum allowable by NFL by-laws -- for violating the league's policy on videotaping the Jets defensive signs Sunday. In addition, Roger Goodell notified the Patriots that they would forfeit a 2008 first-round draft choice if they reach the playoffs, or second- and third-round picks if they do not qualify for the playoffs. The club was also fined $250,000.

New England coach Bill Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of $500,000 Thursday and the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals. Commissioner Roger Goodell also ordered the team to give up next year's first-round draft choice if it reaches the playoffs and second- and third-round picks if it doesn't. "This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field," Goodell said in a letter to the Patriots. The videotaping came to light after a camera was confiscated from...

Making one of the boldest free agent strikes in franchise history, the Patriots [team stats] last night agreed in principle to a contract with former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas. Terms were not immediately available, but the deal is expected to include between $15 million and $20 million of guaranteed money, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. Thomas was in town yesterday and has a physical scheduled for today. Assuming he passes, the deal could be announced by tonight. The Patriots beat out the 49ers for the two-time Pro Bowler and jewel of the free agent class. The...

New England Patriots [team stats] QB/QT Tom Brady [stats] has known for months that he’s going to be a daddy, but he has no plans to marry the baby’s mother, “Six Degrees” star Bridget Moynahan, sources told the Track. Moynahan’s PR gal Christina Padadopoulos confirmed yesterday that Brady’s ex-leading lady, 36, is “over three months pregnant” and that No. 12 is the father. Brady is overseas and could not be reached for comment but friends of the Patriots prince say their bud is “an honorable guy” who will “do the right thing” although it’s unlikely he’ll make an honest woman...

Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, who is now dealing with memory loss and depression related to repeated concussions during his 10-year NFL career, said that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick encouraged him to engage in full-scale practice while recovering from a concussion, against the advice of the Patriots' trainer. Johnson, who retired on the eve of 2005 training camp, told the Boston Globe that he began having serious memory problems when he sustained two concussions in four days in August, 2002. The first was in an exhibition against the Giants, the second after colliding with a teammate in practice. Johnson told...