SZ627

BY JIM DAWSON
MAY 2, 2016

THE PATRIOTS' DRAFT
As usual, the Pats had some surprises in their selections and non-selections. No running
back taken (see my e-mail with my brother Brad). A quarterback (Jacoby Brissett- NC
St.) taken in the 3 rd round. No pure offensive tackles taken, though OG Joe Thuney (also
NC St.) did play tackle last season, and per the Globe's Chris Gasper (5/1) did not allow
a sack all year. And RG Ted Karras (a team captain and yes he's related to Alex) who has
played RG and a little LG and center. Expect returning OL guru Dante Scarnecchia to
work with these two and the other guards to come up with backups at tackle for Nate
Solder and Sebastian Vollmer, who were both hurt last year.
If there is one thing that you can count on in a Pats' draft, it's that many of the players
chosen will be very versatile. 2nd round pick CB Cyrus Jones can play the slot as well
as outside. Jones was described by one scout (Mike Reiss – ESPN had it) as the best
dual returner (punts and kickoffs) in the nation. Help for Edelman and Amendola.
WR Malcolm Mitchell has good speed (4.45 40) and hands. He has returned punts and
kickoffs and even played some CB. He was a captain on his Georgia team.
Kamu Grugier-Hill is a hybrid safety/OLB who also has 4.45 speed.
ILB Elandon Roberts led the nation's Div 1 teams with 88 solo tackles last year (per Jeff
Howe of the Herald – 5/1), who called Roberts another “coach on the field” and was a
defensive captain as a senior (per the Globe's Michael Wilmer – 5/1).
Even 7 th round pick WR Devin Lucien (4.49 speed) showed smarts by leaving UCLA for
ASU where he had more receiving yards 1,075, catches – 66 and 8 TDs which doubled
the output he had in his 3 years at UCLA (per the Herald's Jeff Howe).
WRs Malcolm Mitchell, Devin Lucien and undrafted free agent DJ Foster (also ASU)
will challenge new additions Chris Hogan and Nate Washington as well as Aaron
Dobson (this may be his last go around), Keshawn Martin, Chris Harper and Deandre
Carter. Tom Brady needs more wide receiver weapons.As for QB Jacoby Brissett, the Globe's Chris Gasper (5/1) noted that he played for
Charlie Weis at Florida and his high school coach was friends with Bill Parcells who lent
Brissett some advice.
My take on Brissett is that Bill Belichick knew they needed a back up for Jimmy G, and
for the first 4 games with Tom Brady likely to serve his suspension. Rather than bring in
a re-tread like Brian Hoyer (signed by the Bears) for more money than a rookie, they
planned for the future as Brady nears the end of his career. Garoppolo is signed for 2
more years, so the team can see what they have in Brissett. Whichever of the two shows
the most ability will succeed Brady, while the other may be a trade chip (or have you
missed how many pathetic QBs are still hanging in as backups?).
The Globe's Chris Gasper (5/1) pointed out that the Pats return for the trade of Chandler
Jones is OG Jonathan Cooper and a 2 nd rounder which they parlayed into two picks – OL
Joe Thuney and WR Malcolm Mitchell.
By trading with Seattle, the Patriots now have a 4 th round pick in 2017 to go with their
other 5 picks (1, 2, 3, 5 and 6). They traded their 7 th rounder for TE Michael Williams.
Goodell will take the higher of the Pats or Seattle's 4 th round pick in 2017.
One player I just realized that I overlooked was 3 rd round pick Nebraska DT Vincent
Valentine. Mike Reiss indicated that the feedback was mixed about this selection.
When in doubt, remember – In Bill We Trust. All others pay cash.

RED SOX
Nice to see the BoSox slip into 1 st place while sweeping the Yankees and stealing two of
the three wins against them. The Red Sox have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. However
be aware that those wins came against three cellar dwellers: the Atlanta Braves, the
Houston Astros and the NY Yankees. They now must face the white hot White Sox (also
8-2 in their last 10), and rematches versus the Yankees and Astros. The A's and Indians
(good pitching), Royals and improved Rockies are on the schedule as well before they
end the month with Toronto and Baltimore. Let's see where they are after the dust clears.

BULLETS
• I tracked down PawSox outfielder Bryce Brentz (snake bitten with injuries). Brentz is
on a rehab assignment with the Portland SeaDogs and hit his 1 st homer Saturday.
•Bruin Loui Eriksson is up for the Lady Byng trophy (hope they re-sign him). Who was
the last Bruin to win the Lady Byng? Rick Middleton(Globe Sports Log-5/1)
• Since Friday, the Mariners had 1 hit (W-King Felix); the A's gave up 2 hits (Rich Hill –
L) and the Dodgers got 3 hits – Kershaw -W. He gave up 3 hits and knocked in the game
winner 1-0 vs the Padres. Is it the weather?• Rookie SS Trevor Story hit his 10 th HR in April. It tied a MLB record for fastest player
to 10 HRs. The record he tied – George Scott in 1966. (Globe Baseball Roundup – 5/1)

E-MAIL
Speaking of the Draft and more specifically, the Patriots, I wish, like Mike Reiss
stated in one of his post-Draft columns, that the Patriots had drafted a RB at some
point (any point). There is no guarantee that Dion Lewis will come back (hope he
can!) and be able to play as he did last year, after the injury he had. I know the Pats
are also hopeful that players like Tyler Gaffney can contribute, but he has had
injuries that prevented him from playing in '14 and '15.
Needless to say, the position(RB) is physically demanding and prone to injury, and
as we saw in last year's AFC Title game, still essential, so as not to be one-
dimensional.
As Reiss opined, a couple of the Pats' selections (DT Valentine and QB Brissett) in
the Third Round would have likely been available much later (Day 3). RBs Booker
and Dixon (both good pass catchers, too) were taken in the 4th.
As always, Belichick and team will work the FA market and maybe they can pick
up another gem, like they did with Lewis or just hope the RBs they have, stay
healthy. I think that the Laurence Maroney experience (drafted in the First Round)
also plays a part in their approach to the position.
Brad Dawson
Brad, yes surprising that they didn't draft any RBs. They still have Lewis, Blount,
Bolden, White, Donald Brown (who's been a bust most everywhere), Gaffney, Iosefa
(FB), and Develin (FB). Per the ProJo they did sign undrafted RB/WR DJ Foster.
It's possible that when they traded with Miami for the 5th round pick (#147), they
planned on using it on Dixon (#134 to Balt), Booker (#136 to Denver) or Deandre
Washington (#143 to Oakland). So when those guys weren't there, they traded that
pick to Seattle and got a #4 pick in 2017 which will make up for the one stolen by
Goodell. Jeff Howe of the Herald suggested the above scenario.
That also means that the Pats prized CB Jones, OL Thuney, QB Brissett, DT
Valentine and WR Mitchell more. And yes, the memory of Maroney may still haunt
them. The Pats were 30th in rushing yards, but 5th in passing yards in 2015. They
clearly favor beating teams thru the air. But at times you need the threat of the run
to keep the D off of Brady (something that Denver exploited). - Z
Quiz answer: Moody Blues?
Stephen Graham
Nope, sorry. - Z
howdy jim. i'm thinking the answer to this week's quiz is Led Zeppelin.
Bobby SistoNo, not Led Zep. - Z
I know that they passed on David Bowie.
Could that possibly be the band you had in mind?
Barry Spadea
Good guess but No. - Z
Guess? Not a guess. They did pass on Bowie.
Barry Spadea
You are right about Apple rejecting David Bowie or at least stringing him along
until he moved on. The operative words in my quiz question were 'mega group' and
'band'. David Bowie was a solo artist. - Z
James, would the answer be Led Zep?
Ken Forestal
Nope, sorry. - Z
All right-I really had to think - I believe CSN is correct - if not I'm giving my
collection away.
Ken Forestal
You are absolutely, positively correct. It's CSN.
And while Led Zep was on Atlantic, I didn't see anything about Apple turning them
down. Just found out that Apple Records still exists! - Z
Hey Jim,
CSN is answer to this week's trivia about being rejected by Apple. My 5 bands : Tom
Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bruce & E Street Band, Steely Dan, Eagles, and Aerosmith.
Right you are - it's CSN. - Z
Hi, Jimmy. I take issue with one point in your last letter......That you have been a
Patriots' fan since 1960. Didn't you have many large pictures of NY Giants heroes,
Kyle Rote, Frank Gifford etc on your bedroom wall? :)
Bob Burns
Bob, ah you know me too well. Yes I was a NY 'Football' Giants fan well into the '60's.
Del Shofner, Sam Huff, Rosey Grier, Homer Jones, YA Tittle, Fran Tarkenton among
many others. However having the Boston Patriots allowed me to root for a team closer
to home and in a different league. Gino Cappelletti, Houston Antwine, Babe Parilli, Sam
Cunningham. Those Patriots even made it to an early championship game (I believe the
Chargers beat them).
So I did follow the Patriots from their inception, but the Giants were my team. Do you
remember those drawings of NY Giants players? I think they gave them out when you
filled up your gas tank. Either that or if you spent enough $ at the supermarket. - Z

THE HOT CLUB
Mike Module related a story about a cardiac surgeon talking to his car mechanic. The
mechanic tells the surgeon that he too fixes valves and has to keep doing it, but the
surgeon just does it once. The surgeon replied, “Yes, but I do it with the engine
running.”
So Dr. John told us about the plumber who gave the urologist his bill for $1,000 dollars.
The urologist says, “That's more than I make.” The plumber tells the doctor, “Yeah it's
more than I made when I was a urologist.”
Congratulations to Hot Club bartender extraordinaire Marilyn Collins whose last day of
work was Saturday, April 30. While Marilyn will no longer be at the HC, she will still
bartend at Nick-A-Nees.
Charlie Clancy's friend Rob Perrault was all dressed up. Rob said, 'Going to a wedding'.
Charlie noted that Rob was recently at a wedding in Kentucky. His shoes got stuck in the
mud, and his heel came loose. Charlie said “Rob, you threw a shoe.”
Good to see Buffalo Steve at the HC once again. Steve just bought new wheels – a 2009
Chevy HHR station wagon. You can't miss it – it's red. I wished him well on his new
acquisition. And hopefully we'll see more of his smiling face at the Hot Club.

LAST ISSUE'S QUIZ ANSWER
Well if you read the e-mails, you know that it was Crosby, Stills and Nash that Apple
Records turned down. The e-mails also indicate who got it right. When I went to check
back on Apple Records, it appears that technically the company still exists.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
Two former members of not one but two great bands went out on tour after the breakup
of their 2 nd band. Part way through the tour, one of them decided to quit the tour and sent
a telegram to his friend and band mate that said “...funny how things that start
spontaneously end that way. Eat a peach...” Who were the two super stars?
Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz