Reaction is still pouring in about the supposed return to coaching of Dante Scarnecchia. The *Boston Herald *has an editorial in its sports pages today saying Scar’s re-joining the Patriots would be a boon for New England.
"Forget his age," the author insists. "Scarnecchia is the fittest, best-conditioned soon-to-be 68-year-old coach you'll ever meet.
Beyond that, he knows all the players currently in the Patriots fold. He's coached most of them, and he scouted many of the younger players while working as a part-time scouting adviser the past two years. Bringing him back is a no-brainer."
An ESPN blog post pinpoints which Patriots o-linemen might benefit most from coach Dante Scarnecchia's reported return to Bill Belichick's staff.
The Boston Globe offers a feature on Tom Brady and his personal style which was on display at the Super Bowl.
"Prior to kickoff," the piece points out, "the NFL gathered dozens of MVPs from Super Bowls past, giving the Levi's Stadium crowd of 65,000 a chance to applaud politely while gulping the first of their $13 Bud Lights. Many football greats were there: Joe Montana, Lynn Swann, John Elway, Jerry Rice, among others.
"So was Brady, of course, outfitted in a gorgeous navy suit, white dress shirt (no tie), fringy haircut, and a pair of bad-guy shades that said, 'I'll be back.'"
With that in mind, NESN's website has a snapshot of New England’s depth chart as we enter the offseason.
That depth chart does not include RB Montee Ball, who was officially released by the team, according to several media sources citing the NFL's transaction wire.
On WEEI.com, there's a fun feature on which NFL franchise is poised to become the so-called “Team of the Decade” for the era beginning in 2010. New England is among the contenders, of course.
"Regardless of how each season ended, even the most hardened Patriots cynic will find it tough to argue with five straight appearances in the conference championship game," the writer argues. "The Patriots are as good a bet as any at this point, having won a Super Bowl and nearly a second if not for a late rally on the part of the Giants. Two more appearances in the AFC title game also serve to burnish their resume. Vegas already has them on the short list for contenders when it comes to Super Bowl 51, and so there's a great chance they can further stake their claim in 2016."
Elsewhere, there's also a nice feature on ESPN's website about placekicker Stephen Gostkowski visiting sick children at a local hospital.
"It's heart-wrenching to see families have to deal with their kids being sick. You try your best to protect your kids, but sometimes it's out of your hands," Gostkowski reflected. "That's why it's so inspirational to see how tough they are, and the family support, and then the hospital staff -- the nurses, the doctors, how much they take care of the kids, because they have so much to live for."
