It's a pretty light news day, Patriots-wise, so we'll lead off with some interesting comments by a Dolphins wide receiver.
While visiting the United Kingdom on a publicity tour for this year's International Series games in London, Miami's Jarvis Landry predicted that his Dolphins would beat New England not once, but twice in 2017.
"If you're a competitor, that's the way you should feel, and I don't mind saying it," he added the next day in a 1-on-1 interview with the MMQB website. "It's time for a change. I have all the respect in the world for the Patriots, and I respect Tom Brady tremendously. But they're not our big brother anymore."
There's more from Landry in that extended interview.
Meanwhile, back in Foxborough, Matthew Slater is one of the first players back in town for the team's offseason program, which begins on Monday. But Slater spoke to the media yesterday, and everyone covering this team on a daily basis wrote essentially the same story. We'll give credit to the Boston Herald for recapping what Slater had to say.
"I get nervous every time I watch [Super Bowl LI], like I don't know the outcome… Pretty unbelievable what we were able to accomplish. Again, I'm just very proud to have been a part of such a special team in 2016."
He had more to say, in particular about how Commissioner Roger Goodell will be received when he comes for the 2017 season opener. We'll soon find out who will face the Patriots in that game. It could very well be the team they beat in the Super Bowl.
Speaking of the Falcons, Atlanta QB Matt Ryan, like Slater, has watched that title tilt several times as a way of coping with the loss.
"For me, it was one of those things where you kind of want to be able to deal with it appropriately," Ryan said at his golf tournament this week. WEEI.com has more quotes from Ryan on this subject.
With NFL Draft Weekend fast approaching, a number of media are focusing on that, and the tight end position is a popular one today. *The Providence Journal* and NESN.com offer tight end previews from a Patriots perspective.
*The Boston Globe *continues its position snapshot series with a look at New England's likebackers.
And today, the Patriots Hall of Fame Committee meets to discuss this year's candidates. ESPN's blog provides analysis from one of the writers on the committee.
