Patriots Daily: Super Bowl Timetable; Marcus Jones Drops Single

Today I attempt to join Bill Belichick on the prestigious list of championship head coaches. My youngest daughter’s team, of which I am the head coach, plays for the 10U softball city championship this afternoon. Perhaps the pressure is not that of a Super Bowl, but the stakes can’t get any higher for this great group of kids. Will our softball squad be able to finish off the undefeated season that eluded the 2007 New England Patriots? If the answer is no, this is likely the last my readers will hear about today’s championship game.

Super Bowl Timetable for New England

Speaking of playing for championships, I was asked this past week how long it would be until the Patriots were legit Super Bowl contenders again. The honest answer is, I have no idea. It depends on many factors, most notably the development of Drake Maye. The rookie quarterback has yet to take a single NFL snap. It’s tough to gauge how long it will take a quarterback with no NFL experience to lead New England to the Super Bowl. And Drake Maye isn’t the only rookie playing an important role in determining the Patriots’ fate.

Jerod Mayo enters his first season as an NFL head coach in 2024. Patriots players were excited about the hire. His approach to dealing with players and media already appears far different than that of his predecessor. But let’s not forget for whatever shortcomings Bill Belichick may have had, he is also the most successful head coach of the Super Bowl Era. If Mayo’s approach works well with the new generation of NFL players and yields positive results, New England should be in an excellent position to get their ship turned around. But Mayo has yet to be a head coach for a single game. Like Maye, he remains a wild card in this equation. However, a failed head coach would be easier to recover from and replace than a failed franchise quarterback.

The third member of this rookie trio is New England executive Eliot Wolf. He possesses plenty of front office experience, however the pressure is different as the person with the final say in the room. His first offseason was largely spent locking up New England’s own core players. The results of the 2024 NFL Draft are TBD. Wolf must make smart decisions in the draft, free agency, and trades. There is still work to do to make the roster into a Super Bowl contender.

So, I don’t know the timetable. But one obvious comparison is the 1993 New England Patriots. They drafted Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall in the draft. Three years later they were the 1996 AFC Champions. That young core included draft picks Drew Bledsoe, Ben Coates, Willie McGinest, Ty Law, Curtis Martin, Lawyer Milloy, Terry Glenn, and several others. They also had a coaching staff featuring head coach Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick.

The 2027 AFC Champion New England Patriots is not as far-fetched as it may feel now. Does this scenario come to fruition? Stay tuned.

“COME THRU”

New England cornerback and punt returner Marcus Jones has been busy. Jones has been rehabbing from the season-ending torn labrum he suffered in Week 2 against Miami last season. He has also been making music.

Jones previously released music under the stage name Elliot.J. His single “Make It Right” charted in the United Kingdom last year. He just dropped his latest single titled “COME THRU” under his own name.

Marcus Jones earned All-Pro honors as a rookie punt returner in 2022. He played 37% of defensive snaps and also scored a touchdown on offense. Add his budding music career and Jones is re-defining being an all-purpose player.

Also in today’s Patriots Daily:

Daily Patriots Fun Fact

The New England Patriots (then the Boston Patriots) played their first AFL season in 1960. Since then, there have been 76 rookies to be named first-team All-Pro. The only Patriots rookie to receive this honor is Marcus Jones.

Post of the Day

Before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, New England Patriots players made their championship predictions. Wisely, the Patriots’ social media team opted to show only those who voted for the hometown team:

Get it done, @celtics ‼️ pic.twitter.com/jsC9UpThqp

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 6, 2024

New England Patriots

Patriots Football Now – Damien Harris retired from the NFL following the 2023 season. He spent four of his five years in the league playing for Bill Belichick on the New England Patriots. In a recent podcast interview, Harris opened up about his former head coach and how he blames him for Mac Jones failing in New England. See what Damien Harris had to say.

Patriots Football Now – CBS Sports picked a ‘rookie sleeper’ for all 16 AFC teams for the 2024 season. The criteria was a non-Round 1 pick with the talent and situation to make an immediate impact. Did they make the right call for New England by choosing Jaheim Bell?

Patriots Football Now – All eyes will be on rookie quarterback Drake Maye in training camp and throughout the NFL preseason. But Maye isn’t the only thing that will garner attention and excitement from Patriots Nation. There are new rules, new players, returning stars, and interesting opponents to look forward to. There are at least 10 reasons for preseason excitement in Foxboro.

NFL News

Steelers Now – Detroit released Cam Sutton earlier this offseason. Sutton had been arrested on a felony domestic violence charge. The Lions wasted no time parting ways with the defensive back. Now he is back in Pittsburgh on a one-year contract. Not everyone thinks it’s a good move, as an NFL analyst rips Steelers for signing Cam Sutton: “It’s a bad look”

NFL.com – Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman B.J. Thompson suffered a seizure and cardiac arrest during a team meeting on Thursday. He was reportedly in stable condition following the episode but was not conscious. In a positive update, Thompson is now responsive.

CBS Sports – Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is one of the top free agents remaining on the market. The former All-Pro made headlines away from the football field. He is accused of ‘revenge porn’ and sharing sexually explicit material with the victim’s son. As a result of these alleged acts, Xavien Howard is being sued by two different people.

Yardbarker – On Tuesday, June 11, EA Sports will announce their cover athlete for “Madden 2025.” After coming off a 4-13 season, the New England Patriots are unlikely to have any players in consideration for the honor. Past cover athletes have included Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady. Yardbarker identified five players who should be the “Madden 2025” cover athlete.

Boston Bruins

Boston Hockey Now – The 2024 Stanley Cup Final features the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. That means the Bruins’ offseason is already underway. Attention has shifted to Boston possibly trading 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark. An Ullmark trade would have historic implications for the Bruins and the rest of the NHL.

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