<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/patriots-news-kyle-van-noy-gets-honest-on-mac-jones-potential.jpg"></figure><h1>Kyle Van Noy gets honest on Patriots QB Mac Jones’ potential</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-17T17:19:52-07:00">September 17th, 5:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-17T17:19:52-07:00">September 17th, 5:19pm</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a>Steve is a freelance writer covering the world of sports for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a mere one game in the NFL, Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy is already seeing plenty of promise in rookie quarterback Mac Jones.</p><p>The Patriots’ first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft made his first career start in his team’s narrow 17-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. He finished the game with 281 passing yards, one passing touchdown and a passer rating of 102.6.</p><p>Van Noy believes that the sky is the limit for Jones, but it will be a process for the rookie quarterback to take his place in the league. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPH2G92lMr0" rel="noopener">In speaking to NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Talk Podcast,”</a> Van Noy offered his take on Jones at this early stage in the season.</p><blockquote>“I think Mac is going to be great,” Van Noy said. “Our team is going to get there one step at a time. We’ve just got to focus on the Jets this week.</blockquote><p>After Jones connected with new Patriots wide receiver Nelson Agholor for his first career passing touchdown, he declined to keep the ball, which he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-reason-for-declining-first-career-td-ball-would-make-bill-belichick-proud/" rel="noopener">noted</a> after the game that it is just “one touchdown.” Van Noy recommends that Jones should loosen up a bit at times, but he also understands on where the former Alabama Crimson Tide star is coming from.</p><blockquote>“I was like, ‘C’mon, Mac. You can be a little excited.’ But I respect it and I respect what he said,” Van Noy said. “I respect that he’s like, it’s the first one but there’s a lot of work to be done. I feel him in that regard. He’s trying to be a really good football player and he’s a leader on our team.”</blockquote><p>Jones will be under hefty pressure to help the Patriots avoid an 0-2 start in Week 2 against the Jets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kyle Van Noy gets honest on Patriots QB Mac Jones’ potential

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/jets-news-zach-wilson-opens-up-on-expectations-for-first-career-game-vs-patriots_copy.jpg"></figure><h1>Jets QB Zach Wilson opens up on expectations for first career game vs. Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-17T12:35:37-07:00">September 17th, 12:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-17T12:41:08-07:00">September 17th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a>Steve is a freelance writer covering the world of sports for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In what may be the first of a multitude of encounters, New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson will be facing off against the New England Patriots in Week 2.</p><p>Rookie quarterbacks have not fared well against the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick. For one, Belichick has led the Patriots to a 21-6 record against rookie quarterbacks, but the team has bolstered an 8-6 record against such quarterbacks on the road.</p><p>Even with the odds not in his favor, Wilson is much looking forward to his very first clash against the Patriots, <a href="https://www.newyorkjets.com/video/zach-wilson-the-patriots-are-very-disciplined-on-defense" rel="noopener">which he opened up about during a press conference on Thursday</a>.</p><blockquote>“I’m excited for it,” Wilson said. “I think it’s going to be a good challenge for me. Tons of great learning, I’m sure. And also just, these guys are part of our division. We’re gonna play them a lot, this year and in the coming years of course.“It’s just getting used to this scheme, how we can beat some of the things they’re gonna throw at us. It’s no secret what they’re gonna throw at us. It’s now you gotta try to stop it. That’s the big question. We have, I think, a lot of good things we’ve been working on this week.”</blockquote><p>Wilson is coming off of a rollercoaster performance in his debut <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jets-news-zach-wilson-mom-lisa-exposes-trolling-dms-after-rookie-loses-debut/" rel="noopener">game</a> for the Jets against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, where he threw for 258 passing yards and two touchdown passes but posted a lowly 82.9 passer rating.</p><p>It sure would be a grand moment for him if he were to pick up his first career win in the NFL against the Patriots at home. More so, it sure would be a much-needed one for the Jets at this early stage in the season, especially as they will be taking on the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons up next.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jets QB Zach Wilson opens up on expectations for first career game vs. Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patriots-Bill-Belichick.jpeg"></figure><h1>Bill Belichick’s incredible 10-minute answer to long snapper question</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-17T09:09:14-07:00">September 17th, 9:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-17T09:09:14-07:00">September 17th, 9:09am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a>Mitch is a play-by-play broadcaster and writer in Minneapolis who enjoys every aspect of sports, whether it's announcing, writing, or watching. He started his career as Sports Director of a two-cluster station in Minnesota where he had his own sports talk show. He has since branched out into all aspects of sports media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has often been known <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-bill-belichick-bluntly-reacts-to-what-cam-newton-said/">for his short and abrupt answers</a> during press conferences.</p><p>On Friday, he provided a masterpiece.</p><p>The Patriots’ legendary coach was asked about long snapping, specifically if a roster spot needs to be used for one instead of just getting someone else on the active roster to learn how to do it. Belichick’s answer spanned nearly 10 minutes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bill Belichick Live Press Conference 9/17: <a href="https://t.co/uN99v7qKNU" target="_blank">https://t.co/uN99v7qKNU</a></p><p>— New England Patriots (@Patriots) <a href="https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1438884876690800645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The question as is asked right at 13:00 minutes in to the video. Belichick then provides his answer that goes until the over 22:00 mark.</p><p>Belichick discussed the history of the position and how when he came into the league there was no designated long snapper position. He discussed how it has evolved into where the spot is now pretty valued in today’s game and with the Patriots.</p><p>It’s an incredible answer that spanned across decades of kicking, punting, having specialists, using gunner’s and the evolution of formations on special teams. It was right in Belichick’s wheelhouse.</p><p>To put a cherry on top in the same press conference, the Patriots head coach also reiterated his thoughts on <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1438887562723135491">social media</a>.</p><blockquote>“I don’t really know or care anything about social media. I don’t even know what’s out there … But it doesn’t matter. We played football before there was social media. It didn’t matter then either.”</blockquote><p>A legend of the game and now in front of the microphone. A tip of the cap to Bill Belichick for the insight.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bill Belichick’s incredible 10-minute answer to long snapper question

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/New-England-Patriots-Mac-Jones-Dolphins-.jpeg"></figure><h1>2 takeaways from Mac Jones’ Patriots debut in close loss to Dolphins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-16T05:04:37-07:00">September 16th, 5:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-16T05:05:07-07:00">September 16th, 5:05am</time><address><a>Kousha Kangarloo</a>Based in Washington D.C., Kousha Kangarloo loves playing sports (basketball, volleyball, football, golf and tennis) and working out. He loves music (Calvin Harris, Wu-Tang Clan, The Strokes), traveling bothdomestically and internationally, and he enjoys a good stand-up comedyshow. Lastly, he really enjoys outdoor recreation (hiking, biking,paddle boarding, etc.) and he absolutely nerds out about James Bond,Star Wars, Marvel, True Detective, and Jurassic Park.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Coming a highly productive NFL debut as the new starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, Mac Jones came up huge for them against the Dolphins. Even though they didn’t come away with a victory, Jones still showed a ton of promise and has reassured Patriots fans that the future of this franchise is in good hands.</p><p>This responsibility does come with some heavy baggage though, especially now that he’s going to be filling the void Tom Brady left last year. Hoping that he’ll have an incredible 20-year run with the team and lead them to six Super Bowl titles is asking a heck of a lot. He will have some big shoes to fill for them this season though.</p><p>Jones may not be able to accomplish this feat for the Patriots, but he can still get them back to contender status and has shown that he has the potential to lead them on multiple title runs over the course of his playing career. With Week 1 now in the books for New England, let’s take a look at two major takeaways from Mac Jones’ Patriots debut after their close loss to the Dolphins.</p><p><b>Mac Jones, Nelson Agholor, and Damien Harris will form a dynamic trio on offense for the Patriots </b></p><p>Between Damien Harris rushing for 100 yards, Nelson Agholor adding a touchdown to go along with 72 yards receiving on five receptions, and Mac Jones throwing for 281 yards and a touchdown, the Patriots have put together a stellar offense to work with. Granted it was only their first game together, but they’ve already formed great on-field chemistry and will only get better with time.</p><p>They all put on big performances for the Patriots last Sunday and they’ll look to build on this during their Week 2 match-up against the New York Jets. As the season progresses, opposing teams better watch out, cause this dynamic offensive trio will be on the hunt and ready to make some noise in a crowded AFC this season.</p><p><b>Mac Jones has the potential to throw for 5,000 yards in his rookie season </b></p><p>It’s only been one game, but Mac Jones proved last weekend that he could be the long-term solution at quarterback that the Pats were sorely lacking last season. Looking to continually get better with each game, Jones has already has a lot going for him and could wind up throwing for 5,000 yards this season.</p><p>After a highly efficient and dominant showing during his Patriots debut, Jones <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">will only go up from</a> here and look to continually play lights out for New England this season. Under the guidance of future Hall-Of-Famer and Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick, Mac Jones could have a Pro Bowl caliber season and take this Pats team to the next level with his stellar quarterback play all throughout the 2021-22 NFL season.</p><p>Considering all the talent they possess <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/fantasy-football-week-2-start-em-sit-em-tight-ends-3/" rel="noopener">on offense and</a> the top-notch coaching staff at his disposal, it would come as no surprise to see Mac Jones throw for 5,000 yards this season while continually making his case for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. With all this going for Jones, the sky’s the limit for how far he can go and with his skills and potential, this is definitely a feat he can accomplish.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 takeaways from Mac Jones’ Patriots debut in close loss to Dolphins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patriots-Patriots-Stock-Up-Stock-Down-Mac-Jones-Hunter-Henry.jpeg"></figure><h1>Patriots stock up, stock down heading into Week 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-15T11:49:37-07:00">September 15th, 11:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-15T11:49:37-07:00">September 15th, 11:49am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New England Patriots kicked off their 2021 season with a tough loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, the team looked solid throughout the game, as one could argue the Patriots beat themselves in Week 1. New England is in line for an improved season, but not everything is perfect just yet.</p><p>They participate in a competitive AFC East division this year, which doesn’t bode well for the Patriots’ postseason outlook. Even so, their defense will keep them in most games and the offense has the weapons to make some noise throughout the year.</p><p>There are two players to pay attention to right now on New England’s roster. Both of which play on the offensive side of the ball. If the Patriots can maintain consistent quarterback play while a tight end improves, then this franchise could be in the playoff hunt later in the year. With that said, here are the Patriots players whose stock is up and down heading into Week 2.</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">fuboTV (Click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><h2>Patriots Stock Up, Stock Down</h2><p><b>Stock Up: Mac Jones</b></p><p>The rookie quarterback <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-drops-truth-on-debut-vs-dolphins/">looked impressive in his regular-season debut</a>, which should give fans something to be excited about. Mac Jones seems to be a perfect fit in Bill Belichick’s offensive scheme, as he threw for 281 yards and one touchdown.</p><p>The lack of touchdowns shouldn’t be alarming right now, as those will come throughout the season. Mac Jones spread the wealth amongst his receiving core, as four teammates recorded five receptions or more. Although the Patriots lost their season opener, this franchise should feel confident about their outlook with Jones under center.</p><p>New England has a much easier matchup in Week 2 as they take on the New York Jets. Considering Sam Darnold looked decent against the Jets, Mac Jones should have no problem going up against New York. Look for Jones to improve throughout the course of the season, as he’s in a perfect situation to succeed.</p><p><b>Stock Down: Hunter Henry</b></p><p>After signing a big deal to go to New England, Hunter Henry seemed to be the odd man out in the Patriots’ passing game. Jones only targeted Henry three times, which the tight end turned into three receptions for 31 yards. He did well with his opportunities, but it wasn’t enough to make a noticeable impact.</p><p>Jakobi Meyers, James White, Nelson Agholor, and Jonnu Smith seemed to be the top pass options in Week 1. Hunter Henry could expand his target share throughout the season, but for now, there are a lot of mouths to feed in New England. Considering the Patriots gave Hunter Henry a large sum of money, the coaching staff will likely draw up some plays for him this season.</p><p>However, there’s a real chance that Mac Jones <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-bolsters-notion-that-hes-the-next-tom-brady-for-new-england/">simply prefers Jonnu Smith and the other pass options</a> in New England. It’ll be interesting to see how the season plays out for Henry, as his outlook is a bit wonky right now. We’ll see if he can put together a stronger performance in Week 2. If so, then Hunter Henry should serve as one of the main pass options. If not, then it could be a long season for the veteran tight end.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Patriots stock up, stock down heading into Week 2

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-15_092340.png"></figure><h1>Patriots RB Damien Harris has perfect response to his game-losing fumble vs. Dolphins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-14T18:28:45-07:00">September 14th, 6:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-14T18:28:45-07:00">September 14th, 6:28pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New England Patriots were in the driver’s seat towards the end of their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. With a first down at the 11-yard line, they had three cracks at getting it into the end zone before taking their go-ahead field goal.</p><p>But then Damien Harris lost the football, and the game, for the Patriots on their first attempt.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Patriots lose the season opener 17-16 the final. The Damien Harris fumble at the 9 yd line with just over 3 minutes to play is the difference in this one. <a href="https://twitter.com/NBC10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@NBC10</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/patriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#patriots</a> <br>(Via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@NFL</a>) <a href="https://t.co/8eYdC2RcRI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/8eYdC2RcRI</a></p><p>— Joe Kayata (@NBC10_Joe) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBC10_Joe/status/1437195066146177027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Patriots running back was obviously disappointed after the game, but he refused to let himself get defined by just that one play.</p><p><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/patriots-damien-harris-says-he-will-not-let-game-losing-fumble-vs-dolphins-define-me/">Via</a> Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports:</p><blockquote>“It’s a tough play,” Harris said in the New England postgame presser. “Obviously I have to do a better job of holding on to the ball, especially in a critical situation like that, but it’s a long season. Not going to let this mistake define me, so I’m just ready to move forward.”</blockquote><p>Harris rushed for exactly 100 yards on an eye-popping 23 carries for the Patriots. He further echoed on his sentiments, emphasizing that he’ll be holding himself accountable.</p><blockquote>“What’s most important to me is the fact that we didn’t win the game first and foremost, and then the play that happened, I mean, I’m ready to move on,” he said. “It’s a tough play. It’s part of the game, but you know, I hold myself accountable, and I’ll continue to do that. Like I said, I’m just ready to move forward, and I’m not going to let it define me as a player.”</blockquote><p>The Patriots get another crack at it in Week 2 against the New York Jets, in a showdown <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-drops-truth-on-debut-vs-dolphins/">between two rookie quarterbacks.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Patriots RB Damien Harris has perfect response to his game-losing fumble vs. Dolphins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Mac-Jones-drops-truth-on-debut-vs-Dolphins.jpeg"></figure><h1>Patriots rookie Mac Jones drops truth on debut vs Dolphins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-14T09:20:55-07:00">September 14th, 9:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-14T09:23:15-07:00">September 14th, 9:23am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New England Patriots saw their regular season begin against the Miami Dolphins as Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa battled against each other in a college reunion of sorts. But, the Dolphins got the best of the Patriots on Sunday with a 17-16 victory.</p><p>Mac Jones’ performance went well from a statistical standpoint despite the loss. Either way, the Patriots rookie gunslinger got honest about the game when he <a href="https://www.audacy.com/weei/sports/patriots/mac-jones-recaps-first-nfl-start">appeared on Merloni and Fauria. </a></p><blockquote>“Looking back on it, definitely a lot of things to clean up…But, nothing to hang our head [over] at this point…It’s one game. It sucks to lose. Nobody wants to lose. We’re going to do everything we can to not have that happen. Opening Day, rookie year, check box by that, and we’re going to keep working.”</blockquote><p>The Patriots selected Jones in the first round and released Cam Newton prior to the season, essentially pegging him as the face of the New England franchise going forward.</p><p>Jones finished 29-39 for 281 yards and a touchdown, and after his first score, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-reason-for-declining-first-career-td-ball-would-make-bill-belichick-proud/">refused to keep the ball</a> insisting there’s more coming. What a mindset from Jones, and doesn’t he seem to be the perfect guy to play with Bill Belichick and the Patriots?</p><p>The Patriots will watch the film and get back to work, and a Damien Harris fumble gave the Dolphins the ball back late. Next up for New England is the New York Jets in a battle between two first-round quarterbacks.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Patriots rookie Mac Jones drops truth on debut vs Dolphins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/patriots-news-bill-belichick-bluntly-reacts-to-what-cam-newton-said-about-franchise.jpg"><figcaption>September 13, 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>Patriots’ Bill Belichick bluntly reacts to what Cam Newton said about franchise</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-13T18:51:33-07:00">September 13th, 6:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-13T18:51:33-07:00">September 13th, 6:51pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick finally speaks out about the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-reveals-controversial-reason-he-wasnt-kept-as-mac-jones-backup/">statements</a> that Cam Newton dished out about the franchise after being released by the team. The former NFL MVP was waived by the franchise after a one-year stint which eventually forced the outspoken star QB to voice out his thoughts about everything that went down.</p><p>Belichick, as always, stayed the course. The 69-year-old mentor took the high road and didn’t let any of Newton’s statements bother him. When asked if there was any ‘<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-breaks-silence-uncomfortable-release-new-england/">bamboozling</a>‘ going on with regards to his former QB, his answer was pretty simple:</p><blockquote>“Look I have nothing but respect for Cam and everything that he did here. We said that after he was released. My feelings toward him have not changed.” Belichick told <a href="https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2021/09/13/bill-belichick-response-cam-newton-comments-bamboozled-covid-protocols/">Boston.com</a>.</blockquote><p>The three-time coach of the year was pertaining to the messy situation last month where Newton had traveled to Atlanta to visit his doctor which ultimately resulted in missing a few days of preseason training despite a number of negative COVID-19 tests. All this drama simply <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-covid-19-test-snafu-opens-door-for-mac-jones/">opened the door</a> even more for rookie QB Mac Jones who the franchise have been high on since draft day.</p><blockquote>“I have nothing but positive thoughts and feelings for Cam,” Belichick mentioned in a previous interview. “He came in here, he worked hard. He gave us everything he had. Right now, our future is going to be Mac at quarterback, and that is where we’re going to go.”</blockquote><p>Newton played (and started) 15 games for the Patriots last season and threw 2,607 yards including eight touchdowns. Though he’s been far from MVP-like, the 32-year-old can definitely still bring a ton to the table and he’s hungry to prove that Belichick, as well as the rest of the New England franchise, was wrong in letting him go.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Patriots’ Bill Belichick bluntly reacts to what Cam Newton said about franchise

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Mac-Jones-Tom-Brady-Patriots.jpg"></figure><h1>Mac Jones bolsters notion that he’s the next Tom Brady for Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-13T06:43:23-07:00">September 13th, 6:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-13T06:44:03-07:00">September 13th, 6:44am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a>Johnny Recks has been a writer for ClutchPoints since 2020, covering NFL, NBA, NHL, WWE, and more.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Week 1’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-reason-for-declining-first-career-td-ball-would-make-bill-belichick-proud/">showdown</a> between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots saw Mac Jones make the first regular-season start of his pro career. And while that did not end up the way he wanted to, the poise and control he showed under duress in the pocket must have some Patriots fans having flashbacks of Tom Brady.</p><p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/ZackCoxNESN/status/1437277775614910464">Zack Cox of NESN</a>, Jones managed to move the chains on multiple occasions despite getting beat by Miami’s pass rush in a 17-16 loss.</p><blockquote>The Dolphins were credited with nine QB hits today. Mac Jones completed passes on six of those plays, with four resulting in a first down or touchdown. Also had a 33-yard completion to Bourne while being hit wiped out by a holding penalty.</blockquote><p>The former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback, who edged Cam Newton for the starting gig in Foxboro, finished the Dolphins game with 281 passing yards and a touchdown without getting picked on 29-of-39 completions. Jones was only sacked once for a loss of 13 yards, but there’s certainly much room for improvement for the Patriots’ offensive line in terms of pass protection.</p><p>Things could get better for Jones in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/new-england-patriots/schedule">Week 2</a> when he faces off with fellow rookie Zach Wilson of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.</p><p>There’s a long way to go before Jones gets viewed as an absolute lock as the Patriots’ QB1 just like Brady before, but it’s fair to say that he’s doing a fine job, so far.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mac Jones bolsters notion that he’s the next Tom Brady for Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Mac-Jones-Patriots-Dolphins-Bill-Belichick.jpg"></figure><h1>Mac Jones’ reason for declining first career TD ball would make Bill Belichick proud</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-12T19:29:43-07:00">September 12th, 7:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-12T22:30:21-07:00">September 12th, 10:30pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo is a freelance writer, TV producer, and news editor based in Manila, Philippines.  He will debate anyone to death that Penny Hardaway is the real GOAT, and he will work for pizza.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Right off the bat, Mac Jones made New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick a genius once again. Not that the veteran tactician needed any further validation. But Belichick’s bold choice to go with the rookie as the team’s starting quarterback and let go of veteran Cam Newton wasn’t entirely popular.</p><p>On Sunday, in his first NFL game, Jones showed Belichick made the right decision indeed. He had a stellar debut for the Patriots, finishing 29-of-39 for 281 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions against the visiting Miami Dolphins.</p><p>Jones, the 15th overall pick, recorded his first touchdown pass in the second quarter, connecting with wide receiver Nelson Agholor. While it’s customary for rookie quarterbacks to take home the ball after his first touchdown, the 23-year-old Jones declined to do so (via <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeReiss">ESPN’s Mike Reiss</a>).</p><blockquote>“It doesn’t really matter. It’s just one touchdown. We have to score more. It’s not like the game was over right there. We gotta do better in the red zone and get more touchdowns. And we will.”</blockquote><p>Spoken like a veteran.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mac Jones on why he didn’t accept the ball after throwing his first career TD pass: “It doesn’t really matter. It’s just one touchdown. We have to score more. It’s not like the game was over right there. We gotta do better in the red zone and get more touchdowns. And we will.” <a href="https://t.co/7jnkLNnSBD" target="_blank">https://t.co/7jnkLNnSBD</a></p><p>— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1437206813225652227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Despite Jones’ impressive maiden contest, the Patriots ended up losing to the Dolphins, 17-16. Running back Damien Harris committed a fumble in the Patriots’ last drive, awarding Tua Tagovailoa and company the escape victory.</p><p>Still, Mac Jones lived up to the pressure in his much-awaited debut, especially after all the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-rumor-cam-newton-could-make-totally-unexpected-move-for-new-england/">debates involving Cam Newton</a>. According to ESPN Statistics &amp; Information, his 281 passing yards are the most by a Patriots quarterback in his first start.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mac Jones’ reason for declining first career TD ball would make Bill Belichick proud

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/texans-rumors-houstons-trade-demands-for-deshaun-watson.jpg"></figure><h1>Rumor: 49ers traded up to No. 3 to beat Patriots to Mac Jones, then took Trey Lance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-12T05:34:20-07:00">September 12th, 5:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-12T05:37:56-07:00">September 12th, 5:37am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins in order to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft. There were plenty of rumors that the 49ers were eyeing Mac Jones, but they ultimately took Trey Lance.</p><p>Now, in a very strange report from <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32192632/sources-san-francisco-49ers-trade-no-3-draft-pick-spurred-concern-new-england-patriots-moving-mac-jones?platform=amp" rel="noopener">ESPN’s Adam Schefter</a> as the first Sunday of the NFL season hits, it’s being put out there that one of the reasons San Francisco traded up to No. 3 was to beat the New England Patriots to Jones. But, again, the 49ers took Lance with the third overall pick and not Jones.</p><p>There was a lot of public backlash from 49ers fans when the Jones rumors started heating up. Still, it’s hard to believe that would have swayed the front office from Jones to Lance. Perhaps they had been planning on picking Jones but became more interested in Lance over time and wound up deciding the North Dakota State product was their man. Or perhaps this is bogus.</p><p>The Patriots wound up getting Jones anyway at No. 15, even without having to trade up. Jones has since beat out Cam Newton <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-girlfriend-played-key-role-in-qb-landing-starting-job-over-cam-newton/" rel="noopener">for the starting quarterback job</a> in New England.</p><p>Meanwhile, Lance will start the 2021 season as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup. However, it seems as if Lance will get some opportunities as Kyle Shanahan tries out different looks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the young 49ers quarterback win the starting job relatively soon.</p><p>Whatever happens, this is a strangely timed report that makes little sense to be out there right as the season begins, but clearly somebody wants this story to stick around. We’ll see if there’s any follow up to this report or if everybody just moves on as these two rookie quarterbacks start their NFL careers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rumor: 49ers traded up to No. 3 to beat Patriots to Mac Jones, then took Trey Lance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Dolphins-Dolphins-Week-1-Predictions-Dolphins-Patriots-Patriots-.jpeg"></figure><h1>Miami Dolphins: 4 bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-11T06:20:43-07:00">September 11th, 6:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-11T06:20:43-07:00">September 11th, 6:20am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Dolphins are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-odds-dolphins-vs-patriots-week-1-prediction-odds-pick-and-more/">set to take on</a> the New England Patriots in a big Week 1 matchup. Whoever wins can give themselves an early lead in the AFC East, which is essential considering the Buffalo Bills are the favorite to win that division. With the Dolphins and Patriots looking like potential playoff teams, this game is an important one to pay close attention to. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/new-england-patriots-4-bold-predictions-week-1-dolphins/">NFL predictions series</a> with a Dolphins Week 1 prediction.</p><p>Miami fell just short of the playoffs last year, so they’re hoping to make their first postseason appearance since 2016. It’s been a long journey for this Dolphins franchise and the roster is at the best it’s ever been. This Dolphins-Patriots matchup is detrimental to Miami, as this is a great chance for this team to separate themselves from the Patriots early in the season.</p><p>The defense looks solid and will be attacking Mac Jones frequently on Sunday. That could be a key to victory for this matchup. Additionally, the receiving core has been a bit wonky this offseason, which means Mike Gesicki could emerge as an early favorite pass option. The run game might be using a committee, but one running back should shine on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa looks to prove his worth as the starting quarterback. With that said, here are four bold predictions for the Dolphins Week 1 matchup versus the Patriots.</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">fuboTV (Click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><h2>Dolphins Week 1 Predictions</h2><p><b>4. Dolphins defense pressures Mac Jones</b></p><p>Starting a rookie quarterback isn’t ideal, but it is exciting. For both teams really. The Patriots will get to see Mac Jones in action while the Dolphins defense will be chomping at the bit to challenge him. Rookies tend to make mistakes when facing pressure and that’s exactly how Miami’s defense should approach the game on Sunday. If they can force Jones to make some rookie mistakes, they should be able to walk away with a win.</p><p><b>3. Mike Gesicki is the most consistent receiving option in Miami</b></p><p>It’s been a roller coaster of an offseason for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-dolphins-x-factor-for-2021-nfl-season-and-its-not-tua-tagovailoa/">the receiving room</a>, but Mike Gesicki has been a consistent pass option for Tua Tagovailoa. In fact, Gesicki is in line to have a much improved year, especially once Will Fuller comes back from suspension. Look for Gesicki to play a major role on Sunday, as he’s in line to be a top asset for Miami’s offense all season.</p><p><b>2. Myles Gaskin bursts for over 100 yards and a touchdown</b></p><p>A lot of people aren’t sold on Myles Gaskin as the starting running back in Miami, but he’s looked great with his opportunities. They might be utilizing a running back committee, but Gaskin should be the alpha amongst the group. New England has a stout defense, so it might be tough sledding. However, Myles Gaskin proved himself worthy last year, so he’ll be looking to remind the league what he’s capable of on Sunday.</p><p><b>1. Tua Tagovailoa proves why he was taken fifth overall in his draft class</b></p><p>Tua Tagovailoa played sporadically throughout his rookie campaign. So much so, it seems many have forgotten just how good he was as a prospect before the knee injury. With a full season under his belt and working in a real training camp, Tagovailoa seems more confident and comfortable in the pocket. Look for him to let it fly against the Patriots, setting the pace for the 2021 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Miami Dolphins: 4 bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-10-135146.png"></figure><h1>Dolphins vs. Patriots Week 1 prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-11T04:10:03-07:00">September 11th, 4:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-11T04:10:38-07:00">September 11th, 4:10am</time><address><a>Ezra Bernstein</a>Ezra lives in Los Angeles, California. He is an avid Rams, Lakers, and Dodgers fan. Ezra currently attends Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots will face off in the first Sunday of NFL action. It’s time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Dolphins-Patriots prediction and pick based on Dolphins Patriots odds.</p><p>This game may seem like a typical week one matchup, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/news">but it’s actually one</a> of the most important games of the week for the AFC East. The division figures to be a three-team race, and this game could have tiebreaker implications at the end of the season. It’s also the first opportunity for the Patriots to show off their new franchise quarterback. Mac Jones will make his first career start in this contest, marking the first time a rookie signal-caller has started a season opener for New England since 1993. The Dolphins also have quarterback questions that they’ll look to answer in the form of a strong performance from Tua Tagovailoa. There’s plenty of storylines to follow in what should be an exciting game.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Here’s how the <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/football/nfl">bookmakers</a> have set the lines for Sunday’s matchup.</p><h2><b>NFL Odds: Dolphins-Patriots Odds</b></h2><p>Miami Dolphins +3 (+100)</p><p>New England Patriots -3 (-120)</p><p>Over 43 1/2 points (-105)</p><p>Under 43 1/2 points (-115)</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">fuboTV (Click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Dolphins Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Miami’s best chance at covering this game comes in the form of their defense. This was a hugely underrated defensive unit last season, and they’ve only gotten better. Rookie additions Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland should make this unit even better right off the bat. Cornerbacks Byron Jones and Xavien Howard form one of the best man-coverage duos in the NFL, and the consistent rotation of pass-rushers allows the Dolphins to be a decent team at pressuring opposing passers. They’re also lucky enough to be facing a rookie quarterback in the aforementioned Mac Jones. Miami’s defense led the league in takeaways last season, and they should get off to a hot start against a rookie quarterback.</p><p>To make matters even better for Miami’s defense, the Patriots should be fairly one-dimensional in this game. New England is currently set to start the trio of Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, and Jakobi Meyers at wide receiver. That’s one of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL, even with tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry factored in. The Patriots will run the ball at an extremely high rate in this one, and Miami will be ready to counter them with extra defenders near the line of scrimmage and a variety of run blitzes.</p><h2><b>Why The Patriots Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>These division rivals have pretty similar squads, with the main difference coming the form of offenses. The Dolphins are a complete wild card on the offensive side, while New England is a far more consistent and predictable (in terms of production) unit. New England’s offensive line should be a dominant force in this matchup in both the run and pass games while the coaching staff helps keep Mac Jones away from game-killing mistakes. The Patriots should be decent on offense at the very least, while the same can’t be said for the Dolphins.</p><p>Miami head coach Brian Flores is all-in on Tagovailoa as his starter this year, for better or for worse. That decision is probably going to look questionable in this game against an underrated New England defense. The Patriots have amassed a number of pass-rushers that could cause trouble for the Dolphins’ below-average offensive line, especially when Tagovailoa is forced to hold the ball longer than usual because of how good the coverage is downfield. Even without Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots boast a fantastic secondary. There will be more than a few turnovers in this game, so expect plenty from Miami’s side.</p><h2><b>Final Dolphins-Patriots Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This is a tough pick, but New England should pull out a cover. Gillette Stadium will be a nightmare to play in for the Dolphins, and Miami has too many unresolved problems on the offensive side. Mac Jones won’t but on a show, but New England will win by a touchdown or more.</p><p>FINAL PICK: New England Patriots -3 (-120)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dolphins vs. Patriots Week 1 prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_124732.png"></figure><h1>Cam Newton facing harsh reality 10 days after Patriots exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T22:08:39-07:00">September 10th, 10:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T22:08:39-07:00">September 10th, 10:08pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cam Newton just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-reveals-controversial-reason-he-wasnt-kept-as-mac-jones-backup/">dropped a bombshell</a> of a <i>Funky Friday</i> episode that served as a tell-all for his unceremonious exit from the New England Patriots. But beyond the Twitter buzz he generated, there reportedly hasn’t been as much interest in his actual football services.</p><p>According to a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, there have been zero teams giving any real consideration to signing Cam Newton at this point in time. This despite the fact that the former NFL MVP remains very vocal about wanting another opportunity.</p><blockquote>“His best play will be to wait for an injury,” said Florio on the former Patriots QB. “Even then, the question is whether the team will bring in Newton or rely on the next man up.”</blockquote><p>Cam Newton himself admitted that a big reason why the Patriots didn’t keep him around was because of his “aura”. The man is larger than life. And while that’s awesome when you’re the franchise QB winning league MVPs, it doesn’t exactly fit the bill of an ideal backup for a rookie signal-caller in Mac Jones.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436309244194824194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1436309244194824194%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">Via</a> Ben Volin of The Boston Globe:</p><blockquote>“Can we be honest? The reason why they released me is because indirectly I was going to be a distraction, without being the starter. Just my aura. That’s my gift and my curse,” said Newton on Patriots dismissal.Would he have accepted a role as Mac’s backup? “I would’ve said absolutely.”</blockquote><p>It’s a safe bet that Cam Newton still has a few more snaps in him in the NFL. But after his failed stint on a Patriots team that had a huge Tom Brady-shaped hole at QB when he arrived, his next opportunity will definitely be harder to come by.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Newton facing harsh reality 10 days after Patriots exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Thumbnail-Template-2-7.jpg"></figure><h1>4 bold Patriots predictions for Week 1 vs. Dolphins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T14:20:25-07:00">September 10th, 2:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T15:10:56-07:00">September 10th, 3:10pm</time><address><a>Tyler Ash</a>Tyler Ash is a freelance editorial writer for ClutchPoints. He contributed to two Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) books: 1986 Boston Red Sox: There Was More Than Game Six and Memorable Moments at Boston's Lost Diamond. He also wrote for SABR's website, Small Teaser Sports, The Cauldron, RantSports, and the Revere Journal. Tyler was a featured radio personality for WSOE's show, "One on One Sports."</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Not only does Sunday kick off the 2021 NFL season for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, but it also begins the Mac Jones era as the 23-year-old rookie QB makes his NFL debut at Gillette Stadium in an AFC East tilt. Let’s make some bold Patriots predictions for this Week 1 divisional battle against the Dolphins, which kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET.</p><p>Miami and New England split the season series last year, as the home squad won both times. In last season’s regular-season opener, the Cam Newton-led Patriots defeated the visiting Dolphins, spearheaded by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The quarterback situation for both clubs looks a lot different, as the Patriots released Newton to hand over the franchise keys to Jones, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Dolphins are now guided by second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who took over for Fitzpatrick last year after the latter started the first six games of the 2020 campaign. Fitzpatrick ultimately left Miami in the offseason, joining the Washington Football Team via free agency. Like Jones, Tagovailoa is also just 23 years young.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ages of AFC East starting QBs:</p><p>Josh Allen, 25<br>Tua, 23<br>Zach Wilson, 22<br>Mac Jones, 22</p><p>It's a new era.</p><p>— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichCimini/status/1432710405730754568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 31, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><h2>Patriots Week 1 predictions</h2><p><b>1. Patriots hold Tua Tagovailoa to under 200 passing yards</b></p><p>In Tua Tagovailoa’s lone start against the Patriots last season, he completed 20-of-26 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 22-12 home victory. This time around, Tagovailoa has a tougher matchup against a revamped Patriots defense.</p><p>Not only did the Patriots sign star linebacker Matt Judon in free agency, they also welcome back Dont’a Hightower. Hightower, the 31-year-old linebacker who has spent his entire career in New England, opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. Another familiar face rejoins the Patriots in Kyle Van Noy, who was released by the Dolphins after one season.</p><p>New Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, formerly of the Dolphins, should help the Patriots become one of the premier defensive squads in 2021.</p><p>This all spells trouble for Tagovailoa, who was less than stellar in his rookie campaign. To his credit, he took care of the football and had an underwhelming receiver corps. The Dolphins new they needed to give him more options in the passing attack. They added free agent wideout Will Fuller and rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle in the offseason. However, Fuller is suspended Week 1 and Waddle faces a difficult matchup in his debut.</p><p>With many factors going against Tagovailoa, look for the sophomore QB to throw less than 200 yards in what could be a long day for the former fifth overall pick.</p><p><b>2. Dolphins intercept Mac Jones at least once</b></p><p>Miami’s defense led the NFL in forced turnovers (29) in 2020. They accumulated an NFL-best 18 interceptions and forced 11 fumbles.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Only one NFL team has forced a turnover in EVERY game this season.</p><p>The Miami Dolphins <a href="https://t.co/H0ECWoj7aC" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/H0ECWoj7aC</a></p><p>— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1345797543796596736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Facing off against Jones in his first professional game, the Dolphins should find a way to muster at least one interception. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could opt for a conservative game plan in Week 1 with the rookie Jones under center. The Patriots will likely be a run-first squad early on in 2021, even with Jones impressing all preseason.</p><p><i><b>*Watch the NFL LIVE with <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">fuboTV (click for free trial)</a>*</b></i></p><p>Jones looks like the real deal, but he will succumb to at least pick thrown against one of the league’s elite defensive teams.</p><p><b>3. Jonnu Smith scores TD in his New England debut</b></p><p>The Patriots didn’t just reload their defense via free agency. They also added pass catchers, particularly at the tight end position. The Patriots signed Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry with the intent to run a two-tight end scheme.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Interesting, very comparable structures of the Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry contracts.</p><p>Smith: 4 years, $50 million ($12.5M APY), $31.25M guaranteed (62.5%).</p><p>Henry: 3 years, $37.5M ($12.5M APY), $25M guaranteed (66.7$).</p><p>— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffphowe/status/1371830452663824392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Last season, the Patriots ran 12-personnel (one running back/two tight ends) sets on just <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/players/jonnu-smith.php">2% of their plays</a>. By inking Smith and Henry to multiyear contracts, head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick made it clear he wants to run more 12-personnel.</p><p>Smith is a more talented pass catcher than Henry and should receive more targets from Jones.</p><p>In his first contest with the Patriots, Smith will collect a touchdown reception.</p><p><b>4. Patriots (-3) cover spread, under (O/U 43.5) hits</b></p><p>The Patriots and Dolphins both project to be excellent defenses in 2021. In Week 1, both sides should limit their offensive counterparts. While the Dolphins were the better team last year on both sides of the ball, the Patriots are a deeper squad in 2021.</p><p>Miami will struggle to move the ball downfield against the new-look New England defense. The <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-notes-wed-20210908-jsqhruyeqvf57n74rxp7jhf534-story.html">potential absence of starting left tackle</a> Austin Jackson (COVID-19 list) could be a major blow to the Dolphins’ ability to slow down the Patriots’ improved pass rush.</p><p>On offense, the Patriots will lean heavily on running back Damien Harris, who should receive more goal-line carries with Cam Newton out of the picture. While the Patriots should face their share of troubles on offense versus Miami, they will manage to pull out a victory in a low-scoring affair.</p><p>The Patriots, who are <a href="https://www.thelines.com/nfl-week-1-lines-2021/">favored by three points</a>, defeat the Dolphins 20-13 with the total score hitting way under the 43.5-point projection set by the oddsmakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

4 bold Patriots predictions for Week 1 vs. Dolphins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-10_223039.png"></figure><h1>Ex-Patriots QB Cam Newton reveals controversial reason he wasn’t kept as Mac Jones’ backup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T07:35:36-07:00">September 10th, 7:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T07:38:47-07:00">September 10th, 7:38am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cam Newton dropped an absolute bombshell of a tell-all just a week after he was cut from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/new-england-patriots">New England Patriots</a>.</p><p>There have been numerous reports that have come out on the true reason behind the dismissal. Bill Belichick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-bill-belichick-drops-truth-bomb-on-cam-newtons-time-with-new-england/">spoke out</a> on it. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-girlfriend-played-key-role-in-qb-landing-starting-job-over-cam-newton/">So did</a> Mac Jones.</p><p>But the side everyone wanted to hear most, whether as pure supporters or entertainment seekers, was from Cam Newton himself. And boy did the former Patriots QB reveal his perspective in the most on-brand way possible.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>One of the most asked questions was why the Patriots had to cut him entirely instead of keeping him on the roster to be Mac Jones’ backup. Some speculated that it was perhaps to give him a chance to latch onto another team that gives him a better chance at becoming a starter.</p><p>But according to Cam, he was totally fine being the Patriots’ backup QB. The decision-makers? Not so much.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436309244194824194">Via</a> Ben Volin of The Boston Globe:</p><blockquote>“Can we be honest? The reason why they released me is because indirectly I was going to be a distraction, without being the starter. Just my aura. That’s my gift and my curse.”Would he have accepted a role as Mac’s backup? “I would’ve said absolutely.”</blockquote><p>Patriots fans would definitely want to (but probably won’t) hear Bill Belichick give an honest response to that.</p><p>These are the kinds of rumblings from behind the scenes that are usually kept on the rumor mill instead of being put out in the open. Love him or hate him, Cam Newton is unabashedly going to be real with you.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-Patriots QB Cam Newton reveals controversial reason he wasn’t kept as Mac Jones’ backup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patriots-news-Cam-Newton_s-breaks-silence-on-_uncomfortable_-release-from-New-England-thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Cam Newton breaks silence on ‘uncomfortable’ release from Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T07:26:11-07:00">September 10th, 7:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T07:27:48-07:00">September 10th, 7:27am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New England Patriots made the shocking decision to release Cam Newton after giving Mac Jones the starting quarterback job. Now, Newton <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-drops-truth-bomb-on-release-from-new-england/" rel="noopener">is spilling the tea</a> on his exit from the Patriots and how everything went down.</p><p>It’s clear Newton doesn’t agree with the way his situation was handled, even doubting the idea he was actually beat out by Mac Jones. The veteran quarterback says New England thought he’d be a distraction, so the decision was made to let him go.</p><p>Newton detailed what it was like in the meeting when he was informed of his release. Not only was Patriots head coach Bill Belichick obviously in the room, but Matt Patricia was there as well. It apparently was pretty awkward:</p><blockquote>“It was uncomfortable for everybody,” Newton said, <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436308111845994501" rel="noopener">via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.</a></blockquote><p>Volin had a rather interesting take on Patricia’s role in this whole situation:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">On a related note, Matt Patricia is in charge of the Patriots' salary cap, he's finalizing contracts, and now we learn he's in the room when Belichick is announcing cuts. </p><p>He's the new Nick Caserio.<a href="https://t.co/scApeeiLu0" target="_blank">https://t.co/scApeeiLu0</a></p><p>— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436317600099807281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>But back to Newton. There has been plenty of speculation as to why Newton lost the Patriots’ starting quarterback job to Jones and why he was ultimately released. Jones did play well in the preseason, but many also wondered if Newton’s unvaccinated status and COVID-19 mishap that resulted in him missing nearly a week of practice played a role. Newton actually thinks he would have been released even if he didn’t miss those days, but he was <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436313875654262786" rel="noopener">“bamboozled”</a> about having to sit out.</p><p>Cam Newton is now hoping to get another job, while Jones is preparing to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. There has been plenty of drama in New England already, and Newton’s latest comments are only adding to it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Newton breaks silence on ‘uncomfortable’ release from Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patriots-Mac-Jones-Cam-Newton.jpeg"></figure><h1>Cam Newton shuts down idea that he was beat out by Mac Jones for QB1 gig with Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T06:57:58-07:00">September 10th, 6:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T06:57:58-07:00">September 10th, 6:57am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a>Mitch is a play-by-play broadcaster and writer in Minneapolis who enjoys every aspect of sports, whether it's announcing, writing, or watching. He started his career as Sports Director of a two-cluster station in Minnesota where he had his own sports talk show. He has since branched out into all aspects of sports media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In his tell-all on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXuxqehAKpQ">“Funky Friday” YouTube release</a>, former New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-cam-newton-drops-truth-bomb-on-release-from-new-england/">didn’t hold back any punches.</a></p><p>One topic of intrigue circulated around rookie quarterback Mac Jones winning the job over Newton as the starter. According to Newton, that’s not how it went down or how he views the situation.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Newton:</p><p>"Mac Jones didn’t beat me out, but I would’ve been a distraction."</p><p>— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/1436311673577558020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Newton believes him being a backup quarterback for the Patriots would’ve been an indirect distraction. He may have a valid point with that but what people will flock to is his comments about saying Mac Jones didn’t beat him out.</p><p>It sounds like sour grapes from Newton but again, he brings up valid points.</p><p>His release from the Patriots came as a surprise to many as he was expected to be the starter throughout the whole offseason. At least that’s what most had assumed.</p><p>Clearly New England felt more than comfortable handing the keys to the car over to Mac Jones and while Newton was alright with the Patriots last year, it’s not as though he was playing at the MVP level he once displayed in his career with the Carolina Panthers.</p><p>All of that likely made him expendable in the eyes of Bill Belichick and it’s all the other angles that Newton himself is buying into as logic for getting released. You won’t find Cam Newton saying or admitting that he was straight up beat out by Mac Jones for the gig in New England.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Newton shuts down idea that he was beat out by Mac Jones for QB1 gig with Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patriots-Cam-Newton-Mac-Jones.jpeg"></figure><h1>Cam Newton drops truth bomb on release from Patriots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-10T06:25:31-07:00">September 10th, 6:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T06:25:31-07:00">September 10th, 6:25am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a>Mitch is a play-by-play broadcaster and writer in Minneapolis who enjoys every aspect of sports, whether it's announcing, writing, or watching. He started his career as Sports Director of a two-cluster station in Minnesota where he had his own sports talk show. He has since branched out into all aspects of sports media.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cam Newton’s release from the New England Patriots came as a surprise to many. He went from expected Week 1 starter to getting cut in the blink of an eye.</p><p>On Friday, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXuxqehAKpQ">Newton released his “Funky Friday”</a> video on his YouTube channel and went all the way in on the Patriots for releasing him.</p><blockquote>“Can we be honest? The reason why they released me is because indirectly I was going to be a distraction, without being the starter. Just my aura. That’s my gift and my curse.”</blockquote><p>Newton thought merely being the backup to rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-mac-jones-gets-honest-on-cam-newton-after-stunning-new-england-exit/">Mac Jones</a> would’ve been a distraction for the Patriots and he might have a point. If Jones were to struggle out of the gates, the noise from the outside to have the former league MVP takeover may have been too much for New England. Still, is it worth cutting a guy over that? The Patriots thought so.</p><p>The now free agent quarterback also believes his 5-day absence from the Patriots for breaking Covid-19 protocol without knowing he was doing so was him being tricked in a sense by the whole situation.</p><blockquote>“To find out I had to sit out, that’s when I kinda felt bamboozled, because y’all told me to go.”</blockquote><p>When he was asked if he would’ve still gone to see a doctor had he known this was the result Newton said, “Absolutely not.”</p><p>Newton had a ton to say and didn’t hold back. What will be interesting now is to see who, if anyone, will take a shot on him even if it’s in a backup quarterback role. Clearly the Patriots weren’t willing to extend that olive branch but Newton still wants to play.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Newton drops truth bomb on release from Patriots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Travis-Kelce_s-bold-prediction-for-Mac-Jones_-rookie-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Travis Kelce’s bold prediction for Patriots QB Mac Jones’ rookie season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-09T16:02:46-07:00">September 9th, 4:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-10T00:31:29-07:00">September 10th, 12:31am</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even in a year where multiple rookie quarterbacks will feature in the NFL, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is backing New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones to stand out amongst the group with one impressive debut campaign.</p><p>Jones already comes into the season with plenty of expectations after he beat out Cam Newton for the Patriots’ starting quarterback job. This came just months after he bolstered his draft stock with key performances in the 2020-2021 College Football Playoff while with the Alabama Crimson Tide.</p><p>Kelce is expecting to see a strong rookie campaign from Jones, and one that even overshadows Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s debut season.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDZaFmlAiE" rel="noopener">On<i> ESPN</i>’s “First Take” show</a>, Kelce was asked on who between Jones and Lawrence will have a better rookie season. Without much hesitation, the three-time All-Pro tight end sided with Jones for one key reason.</p><blockquote>“I’m taking Mac Jones,” Kelce said. “I think what he’s shown through the preseason, his command, his ability to put the ball anywhere. And then on top of that, to have the coaching.“I’ve been such an advocate for great coaching because I’ve had great coaching and I’m not the same player without Andy Reid and his offensive mind with his ability to call the right play at the right time. And I think that’s something that Mac Jones has.“It’s not throwing any shade at who the Jacksonville Jaguars got at the quarterback position or at the OC position. I just think that Mac has a great feel for the game and he’s in a great position over there in New England.”</blockquote><p>Jones will have many closely watching to see on just how he handles adversity in his rookie season, especially in the upcoming storyline-filled matchups <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dolphins-news-miami-tua-tagovailoa-honest-take-on-the-week-1-qb-duel-vs-mac-jones/" rel="noopener">against</a> the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

New EnglandPatriots NEWS

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