Daily news and links for Thursday
The Patriots head coaching search has gone national. Albert Breer has been an especially angry panel guest, spouting off that he’s upset about the Patriots skirting the Rooney Rule — even though they are following it.
Breer insists that the first two minority candidates the Patriots interviewed are part of a sham. “With all due respect to Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, who struggled to get coordinator jobs this year … this is very clearly flouting the rule.” The the part of the quote I left out is Breer’s aside, mentioning the strict rules restricting who the Patriots can and can’t interview in person at this stage of the season. This early in the process, the Patriots took advantage of interviewing candidates that were available in person, per the rule: “Clubs must conduct an in-person interview with at least two external diverse — minority and/or female — candidates for any GM or head coaching interview.”
Sentences that start, “With all due respect…” tend to finish with a lot of disrespect. Breer publicly dismissed the aspirations and qualifications of these two men who are interviewing to get back into the league — at head coach or the coordinator level. He did this to shame New England, but didn’t mind shaming the candidates to make his point. He asks “How dare the Patriots” flout the rule like this, but, how dare Albert Breer disparage these two men with his insinuation the Kraft’s intentions are dishonorable? Is he saying these men don’t have the right to be interviewed by any team? Or is he just playing for outrage clicks agains the Patriots, regardless of the cost. He knows he has an audience for that — 31 other franchises and fanbases only too willing to keep the spotlight on those cheating Patriots, always finding a way around the rules.
What Breer did was dirty. If he were serious about teams flouting the Rooney Rule, he would put on his “NFL Insider” hat and do some research. He could then report on how every team has handled their head coach interview process over the years and talk facts instead of insinuation or what “It feels like” to him on the surface. The fact that he didn’t indicates he’s not serious. Instead, Breer picked the low-hanging fruit from the very early stage of the Patriots’ own search. He owes an apology to Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, and also to the Patriots organization. With all due respect, Breer is a clickbait NFL hack.
TEAM TALK
- Mike Dussault reports Brandon Schooler was named to his second-straight NFLPA Players’ All-Pro Team, Schooler’s second post-season honor for 2024.
- Patriots Playbook with John Rooke: Jerod Mayo departure, Coaching candidates, Offseason outlook. (2 hours)
- Patriots Catch-22: Moving on from Mayo, coaching candidates, NFL draft talk. (2 hours)
LOCAL LINKS
- Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed dig inside the Patriots’ 2024 season, Jerod Mayo’s firing and the Patriot’s continued fall.
- Chris Mason hears from David Andrews who talks about a message from Dante Scarnecchia he feels is even more meaningful now.
- Sara Marshall identifies 5 Patriots players who definitely played their last game in New England.
- Doug Kyed reports the Pats have 21 players set to hit free agency this offseason: Here’s where they stand.
- Nick Goss explores what the Patriots can learn about rebuilding in the draft from the Bengals and Lions.
- Sara Marshall suggests Pats could listen to trade offers for QB Joe Milton III to add more picks to their draft stock.
- Bernd Buchmasser tells us about the four-man search party in charge of finding the Patriots next head coach.
- Alex Barth reports the Patriots put in an interview request with fifth head coaching candidate, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
- Justin Leger highlights Phil Perry and James Palmer discussing the differences between Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson — and why Vrabel has the edge, (Next Pats Podcast).
- Phil Perry lays out the challenges facing Lions OC Ben Johnson ahead of his Friday virtual meeting with the Pats.
- Karen Guregian talks with ex-Patriot and former Titans CB Logan Ryan, who provides the lowdown on Mike Vrabel as a head coach and why he’s the ‘perfect fit’ for the Patriots.
- Zolak & Bertrand guest Jordan Schultz says Mike Vrabel is viewed as the “significant front-runner” for the Patriots.
- Doug Kyed looks at if Tom Brady is trying to recruit Bill Belichick as head coach of the Raiders and what it means.
- Tom E. Curran and Mike Giardi weigh on on how likely is a Tom Brady-Bill Belichick reunion in Vegas.
- Conor Ryan passes along a report that Bill Belichick has ‘no plans’ to leave UNC for NFL. “I’m told his sole focus is on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina.”
- Chris Mason’s Patriots mailbag: Loaded with Mike Vrabel questions.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Albert Breer (SI) NFL Notes: The Jaguars’ decision to retain Trent Baalke follows a familiar pattern; Plus, more on the Titans’ path forward and the Patriots’ approach to hiring a new coach.
- John Breech (CBS Sports) 2025 NFL playoff schedule, bracket: Dates, game-times.
- Analytics Team (NFL.com) Next Gen Stats 2024 All-Pro Team: QB Lamar Jackson, RB Saquon Barkley lead offense.
- Gennaro Filice (NFL.com) NFL Rookie Rankings. Drake Maye 14th. Including commentary.
- Kevin Steimle (CBS Sports) NFL head coach, GM firings, interviews: Live updates, latest news.
- Kevin Clark (The Ringer) Mike Vrabel is becoming a coaching legend—Through his yells and his hugs.
- Tom Pelissero (NFL.com) UNC HC Bill Belichick has heard from multiple teams, including Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, to gauge interest in return to NFL.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) The coaching carousel once against creates divided priorities for assistant coaches.
- Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Grading NFL’s first-year head coaches: Jim Harbaugh gets ‘A’ for leading playoff charge; Dave Canales on rise. Jerod Mayo: F.
- Nick O’Malley relays Ryan Fitzpatrick warning teams about former head coach Brian Flores, ‘He became a dictator.’
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL regular-season viewership dips by 2.2 percent.
- Ian Valentino (The 33rd Team) Every NFL team’s biggest X-factor entering 2025 Wild Card Weekend.
- Jeff Diamond (The 33rd Team) Ranking every QB storyline entering 2024 NFL postseason.
- Ali Bhanpuri, et al (NFL.com) Predicting the entire NFL playoff race, from Wild Card Weekend winners to Super Bowl LIX champion.
- Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Playoff picks for wild-card round: NFC thrown into chaos; AFC favorites hold on.