FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. – Quick thoughts and notes about the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Memories of Mallet: Those who spent time with quarterback Ryan Mallett during the start of his NFL career with the Patriots mourned his death from an apparent drowning last week, while sharing memories of their time together.
“I think about two things with Ryan. First, he always had a big smile and was always so lively. He brought a lot of energy and was very interactive with all of his teammates,” said Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer, who was Tom Brady’s backup with Mallett in 2011, and later played on the same team as the Houston Texans with him in 2015. “Second was his arm strength. He has the strongest arm I’ve seen to this day.”
One Hoyer story stood out, and it happened during Mallet’s rookie season in 2011. The Patriots were practicing in their indoor facilities that day.
“I’ll never forget it, he was throwing 16 yards, 18 yards, and threw the ball so hard that it hit the receiver’s helmet and bounced straight back. If my memory serves me right, it almost hits the top of the bubble, because it bounces hard off the guy’s helmet.”
This arm strength was Mallet’s calling card.
“He could throw strawberries across Battleship. That’s how strong his arm is,” said Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who served as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013 when Mallett was Brady’s starting replacement.
“I remember a few times with their backs to the running back, they’d be 4 yards out, and he’d look down, and then all of a sudden he’d press on them and he’d just go through their hands. It was one thing he’d learn — throw the changeup sometimes. Because fastball was his court, no doubt about that.”
McDaniels returned to the Patriots late in the 2011 season as a special assistant after serving as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, and that’s when he first approached Mallett, who was at the end of his rookie season and was not part of the offseason program due to the NFL lockout.
“Back then Tom and Brian were the starters and backups. Ryan wasn’t getting a lot of work, so I started working with him and he was eager to try and understand the whole system. You can tell how much he loves football,” McDaniels said.
“A good guy, everyone likes him, easy to get along with, and gets along with everyone. He just had a natural Southern way about him. Nothing was too uptight, but he wanted to work hard and get better. He was such a cool kid, it’s really sad.”
Texas general manager Nick Caserio was the Patriots’ director of player personnel when the team selected Mallett in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft from the University of Arkansas (No. 74 overall).
Reflecting on the time, Caserio said, “Ryan was a very talented player. He was a good starting pitcher in the draft that year who had a couple of good quarterbacks. Ryan was smart and understood football and was someone we thought could be developed in our system.” .
Caserio closely watched Mallett’s growth in his role as Brady’s primary backup.
“Ryan was well-liked by his teammates and they enjoyed being around him every day. I remember him talking to us on set about wanting to train when he was done playing, and he was living what he set out to do,” he said.
“We are all saddened by his loss and our thoughts are with his loved ones during this most difficult time. He will be missed.”
2. Barker Deal: When details of DeVante Parker’s new, $33 million, three-year contract, the Patriots receiver, are eventually revealed, the expectation from sources familiar with the general framework of the agreement is that the underlying value of the deal is much lower, and there is no total tie-in. Big bucks guaranteed and more than half of the total value with playtime incentives, performance incentives, All-Pro honors, and per-game bonuses. In league circles, this is sometimes referred to as a “pay-for-production” deal, which would be the primary motivation for the Patriots to commit to Parker after a season in which he appeared in 13 games, totaled 51% playing time and collected 31 receptions.
3. D-Hop-Up: The Parker deal should not limit or enhance the Patriots’ pursuit of future free agent DeAndre Hopkins, who visited New England on June 15. The view from here is that the extension has nothing to do with Hopkins and is instead limited to crafting a deal for Parker that will reward him if he is on the field and productive, and will protect the team more than his previous deal if he is not.
4. Jones Support: The Patriots’ Jack Jones is set to go back to court on weapons charges Aug. 18, and veteran linebacker Jonathan Jones plans to be with his teammate in the meantime. “I support him and let whatever happens play its part,” he said last week. Other than that comment, rally around it tweet From outside linebacker Matthew Goodon, and the team’s initial statement following the arrest on June 16, it’s been mostly quiet on the Patriots front as it relates to Jack Jones.
5. Bentley Rex: One thing that stood out in the wake of Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley’s two-year contract extension was the social media reaction from some of the leaders inside the locker room, including recently retired Devin McCourty and veteran safety Adrian Phillips. It reflected how Bentley, who grew from an under-the-radar fifth run in 2018 to a major gear, has earned widespread respect among its peers.
Well deserved one of the team leaders… Congratulations @tweet https://t.co/J1QOW0sh0Y
– Devin McCourty (@devinmccourty) June 29, 2023
6. A short break for Mills: When the Patriots’ mandatory junior camp ended on June 14, veteran linebacker Jalen Mills treated himself to a five-day trip to California and said he eased his strict diet with some fast food. Mills believes breaks like that are important for players to reset, but those days are short-lived. Now is the time to start getting back into training and preparing for it [training] camp [July 26],” he said. Mills, who played cornerback last season but has been running more safety this spring, may again find himself on the perimeter in the wake of Jones’ arrest.
7. They said so: “I’m really excited about the upcoming season and training camp. I think we did a great season… I love our team.” – Patriots owner Robert Kraft, at the Fanatics Merch Madness event at Gillette Stadium, who helped donate more than 300,000 items of licensed apparel to nearly 100,000 underprivileged youth and their families.
8. Scar Ideas: Longtime Patriots assistant coach Dante Scarnicchia, who will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame along with Mike Vrabel on Oct. 21, shared last week that he’s having a hard time reconciling that former New England offensive lineman Logan Mankins won’t go in lieu of that. for him. In fact, Skarneccha said he feels so strongly about Mankins that he says Mankins is a Pro Football Hall of Famer worthy in his eyes.
9. Early Look: The NFL has confirmed that it will continue to rotate the schedule in the coming years, which means the 2024 Patriots’ opponents are mostly designated, and they are divided up in this way:
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home games: Texas, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, AFC West team that finished in the same place at 23rd
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Road games: Cardinals, Jaguars, 49ers, Titans, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, AFC North and NFC North that finished in the same place at 23rd
10. Did you know: Patriots quarterback Mack Jones finished with a completion percentage of 65.2 after finishing his rookie season with a 67.6 percentage. Jones joins the Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow as the only quarterbacks to complete at least 65% of their passes in their first two seasons. Herbert and Burrow are the only players to achieve this feat in their first three seasons.