FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor will provide analysis on Westwood One’s national radio broadcast of Sunday night’s Patriots-Broncos game, which provided the springboard to catch up with him on a number of topics. Some of the favorite nuggets from the interview:
Not seeing any drop-off from Tom Brady. Taylor’s career spanned from 1997-2011, which meant he faced Brady over his final 11 seasons. Nothing has changed from his view. “At 40 years old, the ability for him to do what he’s doing and to still be playing at this high level, it’s head-scratching. It’s the same Tom Brady I saw, and had nightmares about, for years. It’s the same guy.”
In retrospect, he should have signed with Patriots. In 2009, Taylor re-signed with the Dolphins after a season in Washington, and then in 2010 joined the Jets before returning to Miami for his final season. The Patriots had expressed interest, and looking back, Taylor wishes he signed in New England at some point to play for Bill Belichick. “Unfortunately I never got the chance to play for him. I wouldn’t say it’s a regret of mine, but if I could do it over again, I’d probably try to play for him at least a year as well.”
Comparing Dan Marino’s final years in Miami to Brady. Taylor’s first three years with the Dolphins were Marino’s last three years (when he was 36, 37 and 38). Any comparison to be made? “Danny wasn’t as healthy as Brady is now and I don’t think had the freedom to do some of the things -- he had a different offense, I should say than Brady’s been playing.”
Why don’t more people talk about Brady’s toughness? Taylor is impressed with Brady’s ability to take a hit and get back up. “The thing that always seems to be underestimated, and he doesn’t get enough credit for, is his toughness. He takes a lot of hits, yet he’ll stand in there and stare down the barrel of a defender through a gap to hit him. He’ll still deliver the football. He’s not going to flinch.”
Post-playing career has been good to him. Now 43, Taylor is spending time as a high school and youth coach in Florida with his sons, and providing radio analysis for Westwood One. “I’m enjoying it, my season is football at every level, except for the collegiate level; it’s been busy,” he said. As for the challenges of providing radio analysis, he said: “Trying to communicate it is sometimes a challenge, in a small window before the next play comes. I just try to keep it simple, not get too technical. Try to quickly paint the picture. I work with Kevin Kugler, who is a pro at doing it and I just kind of scratch where it itches.”
1b. Taylor, for what it’s worth, was always one of my favorite players to interview because of the thought he always seemed to put into his answers, and also how well he articulated his thoughts. Between him and Larry Fitzgerald, it’s a toss-up for the top spot.
1c. From the leftovers department: The last time Taylor said he talked with Brady was after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Brady -- who wrote a letter to the Hall of Fame committee supporting Taylor’s candidacy -- reaching out to congratulate him.
2. In addition to possibly attempting to recoup some bonus money from him, another reason the Packers might have waived Martellus Bennett is that they simply didn’t want him around; if they placed him on injured reserve, he could have still been around the club. That was my take after reading tight end Richard Rodgers’ reaction: “I think we know where we’re trying to go. If someone is on that boat, it’s better that they’re not here.”
3. Some similarities can be drawn between Bennett’s situation with the Packers in 2017 and what Randy Moss experienced with the Patriots in 2008. That was Moss’ second year in New England and he had set records with Brady the year before as his career was revitalized (like Bennett, it helped him increase his value as an unrestricted free agent). When Brady was lost for the 2008 season after just 15 offensive plays, it challenged Moss in a different way because he hadn’t necessarily signed up to catch passes from Matt Cassel, just as Bennett -- whose career had generated new momentum last year after playing with the Patriots -- didn’t with Brett Hundley this year. Moss still finished with 69 catches for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns that year.
4a. The Patriots will spend the week at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs after Sunday night’s game against the Broncos, and then travel on Saturday to Mexico to face the Raiders. Long-snapper Joe Cardona, who is on active duty with the Navy, is excited about the venue. “It will be familiar ground for me,” he said. “Obviously it’s a heated rivalry between the two academies, but ultimately … any time you have an opportunity to be around an institution like that, there are always takeaways. I’m looking forward to it and a lot of teammates are, too.”
4b. Did You Know: The stadiums in which the Patriots will play their next two games -- Sports Authority Field in Denver and Estadio Azteca in Mexico City -- are played at the highest altitudes in the NFL: 5,195 feet and 7,503 feet.
5a. Quarterback Brian Hoyer has racked up frequent flier miles like never before over the last two weeks.
Round trip from San Francisco to Philadelphia for the Oct. 29 game between the 49ers and Eagles.
San Francisco to Boston two days later after being released and signing with the Patriots.
Practice with the Patriots, then fly back home to San Francisco briefly during the bye weekend.
Then San Francisco back to Boston for a week of practice.
Now from Boston to Denver, and ultimately next weekend Denver to Mexico and back to Boston.
“It’s been crazy, five cross-county flights so far,” Hoyer said in a one-on-one interview that aired on SportsCenter on Saturday. “Just packed as much as I could, and been grinding through, trying to get back into this program.”
5b. As for going with jersey No. 2 instead of his old No. 8, Hoyer said, “I got it in Chicago, and kept it in San Francisco. When I was here last time, I didn’t really get to pick. Then once I made the team, I wasn’t going to be the undrafted guy looking to change his number. Just trying to keep something consistent over the last year and a half; plus, I have two kids and it’s kind of a good fit.”
6. Personnel follow-up: Receiver Austin Carr, the undrafted free agent from Northwestern who was a fan favorite in training camp, has basically had a redshirt season with the Saints. He has been active for just one game, hardly playing, and didn’t register any official statistics.
7. From the miscellaneous file: When I asked cornerback Stephon Gilmore how much he’s enjoying his time in New England, he smiled and said it’s been a good spot. The main reason: “I’ve never been 6-2 before.”
8. Three-and-a-half seasons later, it seems fair to say that cornerback Aqib Talib has been a good free-agent signing by the Broncos. The six-year, $57 million pact seemed rich in 2014, and my sense is that the Patriots had some medical concerns with Talib that affected their willingness to make such a rich commitment to keep him, but Talib has mostly been durable and productive in Denver. The Broncos, who have led the NFL in fewest yards per passing attempt (6.1) and passing yards per game (202) since signing Talib, have won that bet.
9. Leftover thought from a recent conversation with an NFL general manager: Third-year right guard Shaq Mason might be the best Patriots player that few talk about. Scouts and personnel men, in particular, seem fascinated with his development from having played in an option-based offense at Georgia Tech, which meant essentially learning how to pass protect in the NFL. Meanwhile, offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia said last week, “He’s a tough guy and he’s improved. He’s a better player this year than he was last year.”
10. Did You Know: With the Patriots and Broncos meeting for the seventh season in a row, it is the longest active streak of any non-divisional opponents in the league, according to Elias, and tied with Titans-Steelers (seven straight from 2008-14) for the third-longest streak since divisions realigned in 2002. It trails only Patriots-Colts (10 straight from 2003-12) and Bills-Chiefs (eight from 2008-15). The streak will be snapped in 2018 unless the clubs finish in the same spot in their divisional standings this season, or meet in the playoffs following next season.