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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes on the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. With one answer on the fastest kickoff returner he’s coached in 43 NFL seasons, Bill Belichick sparked some memories this past week, and also a question: Whatever happened to Bethel Johnson? Now 39, Johnson was flattered to be the source of some Patriots social-media buzz from the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, where Belichick was talking about newly acquired Cordarrelle Patterson as a return threat, and made it clear that nobody has ever been faster than Johnson (and those who played the Madden video game in 2005 certainly agree). It didn’t take long for word to get to Johnson, who has settled in his native Texas, is married with two kids (ages 7 and 4), and works as a financial adviser. “I got into this about three years ago, because I wanted to help our guys in this industry to stop going broke and help guys understand how money works,” Johnson told ESPN.com in a phone interview. “I look at it as, ‘These guys are my brothers.’ Whether they played before me, or after me, we’re all in the same fraternity. The last thing you want to read is that a player’s money was mismanaged by someone who took advantage of them. I understand what players go through, because I was one of those guys, but I was different in how I saw money. I wasn’t a big spender.” When Johnson was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2003 draft, he received a $1.75 million signing bonus as part of a five-year, $3.8 million contract. With the assistance of a trusted adviser, Johnson said he planned for his retirement “from Day 1” of his professional career and that upon his retirement in 2008, after a short stint with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, he was “taken care of.” “I got my signing bonus and said, ‘Listen, I may never see this money again, so I want this to last me the rest of my life. What I don’t want to do is go back to being broke,’” he said. “That was the game plan.” Meanwhile, the Patriots’ game plan in drafting Johnson in ’03 was to add blazing speed to their skill-position group and on special teams, and Johnson -- who had starred in track and field and football at Texas A&M -- was part of two Super Bowl championship teams, although he never emerged as a top-flight pass-catcher. The team traded him after three seasons. “Belichick actually taught me how to play wide receiver,” said Johnson, who was a raw prospect with the unique trait of top-end speed. “Being able to learn from a guy like that, and being part of winning those first two years I was there, that was a fun experience.” 2a. From the memory bank, here are Johnson’s favorite Patriots plays from his time with the team: Nov. 30, 2003: Patriots 38, Colts 34: “I remember when we were in Indianapolis, they had tied the game up right before the half and they kicked it off to me and I ran it back [for a 92-yard touchdown]. Those are step-it-up moments where your team needs you to do something big and make it happen.” Jan. 10, 2004: Patriots 17, Titans 14: “It was so cold that day; I had like four pairs of gloves on [catching a 41-yard TD to open the scoring]. That was one of the coldest days ever.” Oct. 17, 2004: Patriots 30, Seahawks 20: “The diving play which set us up to win that game.”
2b. Two other Johnson leftovers: The one player he mostly keeps in touch with is former Patriots reserve offensive lineman Billy Yates, with whom he had been close as a youngster and remains best pals with today. Otherwise, most of his ties to the team have faded, although he learned of Belichick’s remarks about his speed from former Patriots strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash. “I have great respect for the fans and players who are there now, but the only player left from my era is Tom Brady,” Johnson pointed out, before adding, "I’m enjoying life and things are settling in.” His speed rating in Madden was always a fun topic, and still sparks laughter. “I play games with strategy more than sports games; I like to think my way through stuff. But I used to play it a little bit, and when I met [John] Madden, I told him he shorted me on my speed. I felt like it should have been 100. I was faster than Devin Hester and they gave him 100!” Johnson and former Patriots teammate David Patten once had a 40-yard dash challenge at Gillette Stadium, and Johnson said he was timed at 4.28 and 4.26.
2c. "Temple" Bethel Johnson -- maybe the best Chris Berman nickname ever? 3. Belichick mentioned a “good energy” among players he’s seen at the Patriots' facility, and third-year receiver Malcolm Mitchell is now doing his part to contribute to that. Mitchell has been showing up at Gillette of late and plans to be there the rest of the way, with the offseason program starting April 16. This is a big offseason for the 2016 fourth-round pick from Georgia after he missed all of the 2017 season (knee). 4. The most unexpected turn of events from the NFL’s annual meeting was a new rule to penalize a player 15 yards when he lowers his head to “initiate and make contact” with his helmet against an opponent. The play also could lead to ejection, similar to the NCAA’s targeting rule. One owner said a presentation from Jeff Miller, who serves as senior vice president of health and safety policy for the NFL, made a strong impression on him. Part of Miller’s message was that the purpose of the helmet has always been to protect players, but it's now being used more as a weapon in some cases, and the still-to-evolve rule is designed to eliminate the plays in the latter category. 5. While Malcolm Butler's thoughts on the sideline from Super Bowl LII made headlines from his “SI: Under the Cover” profile, also notable was the context and detail from his free-agent negotiating process. The Texans were offering only a one-year deal, the Bears had a three-year deal on the table averaging $10 million per season, and then the Titans ultimately came in at five years and $61 million. The behind-the-scenes video created the perception that the Titans were negotiating against themselves at that high financial level. Also, while the Lions (led by former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia) had reached out with “interest," they never made an offer in the video.  6. A horse named Gronkowski set to ride in the Kentucky Derby? We all saw this coming back on Nov. 26, with Brandin Cooks making like Victor Espinoza in the jockey role.
7. The Patriots have a notable hole to fill at left tackle with Nate Solder departing for the Giants as a free agent, and if they’re looking for a notable example of a team that recently did it and maintained success, they can focus on the team that beat them in Super Bowl LII. When the Eagles lost perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters to a torn ACL last October, Halapoulivaati Vaitai stepped in and the Eagles didn’t miss a beat (11-2 in games he started). Vaitai entered the NFL as a 2016 fifth-round pick out of TCU, and he highlights something that is often overlooked when analyzing teams: the importance of developing unheralded players to be ready to seize expanded roles. Based on the present snapshot, the Patriots will see if LaAdrian Waddle, Cole Croston or Matt Tobin can be their version of Vaitai in 2018, and of course, it’s also possible they could select a left tackle in the draft. 8. The Patriots Hall of Fame committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to begin the process of narrowing down this year’s field of candidates to three (with the winner chosen by fan vote). Cornerback Raymond Clayborn edged out Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour last year, so the candidacies of Vrabel and Seymour are once again expected to be strong. Other past finalists who have yet to be inducted into the Patriots' hall include offensive lineman Leon Gray, coaches Bill Parcells and Chuck Fairbanks, running back Ron Burton and safety Fred Marion. Center Dan Koppen and cornerback Asante Samuel are both eligible for the first time (four years since retirement), as they were voted to New England's all-decade (2000s) and 50th-anniversary team. After Koppen and Samuel, the next players to become eligible who were voted to all-decade and 50th-anniversary teams are guard Logan Mankins (2020) and receiver Wes Welker (2020). Receiver Deion Branch is also in his first year of eligibility in 2018. 9. Arguably the Jets’ greatest need is defensive end, and yet they haven’t moved to re-sign Kony Ealy, who had joined them last August on waivers after he was let go by the Patriots. ESPN.com Jets reporter Rich Cimini writes that the sense is that Ealy isn’t the Jets’ cup of tea, which means Ealy is likely looking for his fourth team (Panthers, Patriots, Jets) as he enters his fifth NFL season; that isn’t the way it’s supposed to unfold for a player entering the NFL as a second-round draft choice. 10. Belichick smiled when it was mentioned that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels hasn’t been spotted at many pro days, saying the Patriots are obviously doing a good job covering their tracks and that McDaniels’ role remains the same. Pro days generally wouldn’t be the spot to see McDaniels anyway, as members of the coaching staff would get the most out of private workouts with prospects, and McDaniels is expected to do plenty of those leading into the draft. And the ones he doesn’t get to, assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski will cover, as he recently did by putting Princeton quarterback Chad Kanoff through a private workout.
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