Can the New England Patriots recover from their Super Bowl loss? On this episode of the podcast let’s break down the AFC East and see if anyone can dethrone the Patriots. Also, we take an in-depth look at the rookie quarterbacks in the division and how that will impact their respective franchises this season. Remember to subscribe for all the latest content from Rich Sports Talk.
After trading Jimmy Garoppolo in season to the San Francisco 49ers, the New England Patriots may already have their sights on Garoppolo 2.0.
When the trade was announced before the NFL trade deadline many were stunned. New England gave Jimmy Garoppolo away for a second round pick? How did they not get multiple first round picks for him? Did the 49ers pull of the great trade robbery the sequel?
After it was reported that the trade was made because of a divide between Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady would eventually lead the organization to move on from their former second round pick. With Tom Brady approaching the age of 41, the Patriots will now look to address the next heir to Tom Brady throne. Luckily for New England, this is one of the richest drafts for quarterbacks in recent memory.
Going into this draft New England will have the 31st, 41st or 42nd, and 63 picks in the draft, 41 and 42 will be determined by a coin flip. This may not be enough ammo to move up early in the draft, but New England may already have their eyes on their next quarterback project.
Kyle Lauletta: Courtesy of Richmond Times-Dispatch
For New England, like they did with Jimmy Garoppolo, could go the FCS route for a quarterback. Their next project could by Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta who scouts have compared to Garoppolo. Looking at the tape of these two quarterbacks, it’s scary to set how similar their skill sets and measurables.
Garoppolo Lauletta
| Height | 6’2 ¼” | 6’2 ½” |
| Weight | 226 | 217 |
| Arm length | 31.00 | 30.75 |
| Hand size | 9.25 inches | 9.62 inches |
| 40 time | 4.97 seconds | 4.85 (estimated) |
| Accuracy | 62.8% career | 63.5% career |
Don’t forget the buzz for both of these quarterbacks really started after strong Senior Bowl performances. This year, it was Lauletta who was the talk of the quarterbacks with some of the best practices, and shining in the game going 12-for-18 for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
A strong Senior Bowl has pushed Lauletta up draft boards across the league.
The luxury for the Patriots is that Tom Brady has made it clear that he wants to play until he is 45. This might not happen, but you can bet that for at least the next two to three seasons, Brady and the organization believe that number 12 is going to be their starter. Having that window will allow the Patriots, Belichick, and McDaniels time to develop Lauletta much like they did with Garoppolo.
With a good roster and Bill Belichick preferring to sign veterans since the CBA reduced practice times, I could see that Patriots using their first round pick to draft the Richmond quarterback. This will be a quarterback heavy draft and if the Patriots try to wait until the second round, it may be too late.
Given the similarities and the fact that the Patriots now don’t have a succession plan after Brady anymore, drafting a young quarterback to develop, even if it is in the first round, just makes to sense. Seeing how similar Lauletta is to their previous quarterback of the future, it won’t be a surprise if New England calls the Richmond quarterback’s name in the upcoming draft.
Missing football already? I got you covered. Here on the latest Rich Sports Talk podcast we are breaking down the big game and how the Philadelphia Eagles went from underdogs to the top dog in the NFL.
What’s next for the Patriots? How did the Eagles pull it off? You’ll have to listen to find out.
Rob Gronkowski may be an All-Pro tight end for the New England Patriots, but he’s also the biggest kid on the planet. It’s only fitting that the biggest kid on the planet would get to host his own show on one of the biggest kid’s television channel on the planet, Nickelodeon.
The NFL’s biggest kid will now host a Kid’s show
Gronk will be the face of Nick’s newest show, Crashletes, where he will be introducing clips of sports action. The move, which is also giving NFL MVP Cam Newton his own show, comes from the Nickelodeon Network’s attempt to broaden and mix it’s offerings. The move is prompted by the increased competition and wider variety of choices for children’s programming.
One thing is certain, Gronk will bring his fun loving and boundless youth energy into a new platform for NFL players.
“Belichick outcoached me”. “No question about it”. 
This is how Rex Ryan responded to yet another friendly reminder from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady that the AFC East is the Patriot’s division. After a week of the usual bravado and feeding the Buffalo fan base with optimism New England simply did what it does best. Defeat the Bills.
With a 40-32 loss on Sunday, the Patriots have won 20 of their last 22 meetings against the Bills will Ryan drops to 4-10 all-time against Belichick. What made the romp even more complete was how the Bills lost to the Patriots. Sure, there were the usual Ryan M.O. such as three turnovers, 14 penalties, and 140 penalty yards. However, what really popped the Ryan bravado was how the Patriots torched his defense.
In six years with the Jets it was clear that Rex Ryan could coach defense. When it came to coaching the whole team, that was a different story. Ryan failed to develop offensive players during his tenure with the Jets and despite having a top defensive unit every year, Ryan’s Jets lacked discipline and would have performance that made New York fans cover their eyes. Still, Ryan landed the job in Buffalo because of the potential he could have with that defense.
For Rex Ryan his defense is his baby. It’s clear that he can coach defense and with the personnel in Buffalo many thought Ryan would have one of the NFL’s premier units. However, after 40 points and 466 yards through the air it’s clear that Brady wasn’t rattled by Ryan’s defense. What was most troubling was that Rex Ryan’s defense wasn’t a Rex Ryan defense.
On 51% of his drop backs Ryan only rushed for after Brady. This number is alarming because Ryan loves to blitz. Ryan is known for utilizing different schemes and bringing pressure from all different directions but on sunday Ryan’s defense was too simple, and Brady carved them up. Ryan has been successful when being aggressive and forcing Brady to throw the ball earlier. This time Brady had plenty of time in the pocket as Ryan failed to turn up the heat in the pocket.
Still Ryan did his usual song and dance in the post-game conference. Blamed the loss on himself, talked about what went wrong, how the team would improve, and of course add a bit of bravado at the end.
Even after the loss Ryan still jabbed the Patriots by saying “There not exactly the Boy Scouts of America”. Ryan’s a great entertainer, but when it comes to defeating Bill Belichick is still the maestro of the AFC.
Randy Moss said that he still has the itch to play in the NFL again. While broadcasting a preseason game Moss said that even though he has been retired for two seasons, he has been keeping in shape in case he wanted to return to the game.
Let’s face it, I’m still waiting for Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson, or Ocho Cinco or whatever moniker he goes by today, announce that they are also considering a comeback. Is that Brett Favre I hear getting off the lawn mower in Louisiana? But I digress.
Back to Moss. The biggest question is where would he go? The only place I could see him possibly working is New England but with the Patriots signing Reggie Wayne to a contract this past week has seemingly shut that door for a return. If Wayne doesn’t work out, a reunion in Foxboro could be the only logical landing spot for Moss given his chemistry with Brady and that he deeply regrets leaving New England.
Still, New England will probably be out on Moss given his age and that they have now added Reggie Wayne. The only other team in the NFL that is desperate at wide receiver is the Carolina Panthers.
With the Wayne signing a Moss Brady reunion seems highly unlikely
After Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL coupled with the lack of talent at the receiving position already on the team, if the Panthers want to repeat as NFC South Division Champions, they need to give Cam Newton more weapons.
Even if the Panthers do decide to give Moss a chance, the biggest question with Moss has never been with his talent or physical shape, but his heart. Could Randy Moss return to the NFL and make an impact, it is possible but at this point teams like Carolina who are desperate at receiver should explore younger options than hoping a veteran like Moss miraculously finds the fountain of youth.
There’s still time before the season begins, and even thous Moss believes he can still play in the NFL it will be interesting to see if any team gives him even a tryout at this point.
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