Each NFL season is a new journey for every team.
That's true for defending Super Bowl champions, like the Patriots. It's true for football bottom-feeders looking to move up the mountain.
That long evolution over the course of a season, building on training camp and then advancing through all the experiences of four months of game and practice action, was a topic Bill Belichick addressed with some passion in his Monday morning conference call with the local media.
The Boston Globe *says that Belichick doesn’t see a struggling team through the first six games of 2017 in New England. The *Globe observes that running back Dion Lewis finally looks like he’s back to his explosive self. The Globe offers up some key plays from Sunday’s win in New York.
The Boston Herald Patriots report card from the win over the Jets says there is still work to do for New England. The Herald also has Belichick explaining, more than a third of the way into the season, how it takes time for a team to improve.
ESPNBoston.com looks at the changes to the Patriots roster since Super Bowl LI, as New England prepares to battle the Falcons in Foxborough. ESPNBoston.com notes that the Patriots will wear their blue-on-blue Color Rush uniforms on Sunday Night Football. ESPNBoston.com has Belichick saying, somewhat obviously, that it's “incomprehensible” for a team to be a finished product right now. ESPNBoston.com passes along word that Tom Brady reached out to support injured Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
ESPN ranks the NFL teams most affected by injury, putting New England in the No. 3 spot behind the Packers and Giants.
WEEI.com has Brady saying that going into Week 7 of the season he feels about as good as he could expect to. WEEI.com has the Patriots reportedly working out five plays on Monday, including a young quarterback. WEEI.com offers up a way that these Patriots can still win the Super Bowl.
NBC Sports Boston looks at Malcom Brown’s key role in keeping the Jets running game in check on Sunday.
NFL.com has the Patriots up to the No. 6 spot in its power rankings. NFL.com says one of the narratives that was busted by Week 6 action was that the New England defense was getting fixed.
CBS Sports is predicting the Falcons to exact some revenge by beating the Patriots on Sunday night.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution offers up six reasons the Falcons should be happy they are playing the Patriots this week.
USA Today says the Patriots are “back on track” with the Super Bowl rematch looming this weekend.
MassLive.com writes that the Patriots are a work in progress but that it will be scary to see once they are complete.
*Sports Illustrated *declares that the Patriots-Jets goal-line call will “live in infamy.”
