B-Side Sports
🫣 No. 1 pick Pats?
Good Morning, Boston.
On this day in 2007 … The Patriots wrapped up their perfect regular season with a 38-35 win over the New York Giants as Tom Brady (50th TD pass) and Randy Moss (23rd TD catch) each set NFL records on this picturesque throw. We’ll pretend the rematch between these two teams a few weeks later didn’t happen. Those were the days, weren’t they?
WHAT’S ON TAP TODAY:
A ray of hope for the Pats?
Buehler goes hero to “zero”
The coaching crisis continues
LET’S GET INTO IT…
LEADING OFF
New hope for a New Year
Image: John Tlumacki/Boston Globe
Out with the old, in with the new (year). Ladies and gentlemen, 2025 is almost here. You know what that means: New Year’s resolutions. While we’re working on our own self-improvement lists that we definitely won’t abandon after a few weeks, let’s talk about what we want to see “in” and “out” of Boston sports next year.
In: Tee Higgins in a Patriots uniform. New England needs to fix … a lot this coming offseason. Grabbing an alpha receiver like Higgins, who just demolished the Broncos in primetime Saturday night (131 yards, 3 TDs), would turn things around the most. Just slide the free agent a check and let him fill the numbers in. If not him, that Travis Hunter guy seems pretty good.
Out: Let Bill Belichick go. He’s the greatest coach of all time. But, let’s stop asking what Belichick would’ve done with this current version of the Patriots. If he had posted more than one winning season since Tom Brady left, he’d still be in Foxborough. Belichick’s definitely not coaching at North Carolina because it was his first choice. Thanks for the memories, though.
In: Get Banner 19. Only one thing will do for the Boston Celtics: another championship. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are as good as ever. Payton Pritchard is the best bench player in the game. Kristaps Porzingis is back to raining 3-pointers when he’s not constantly rolling his ankles. If the C’s are healthy come playoff time, they’ll have everything they need to go back-to-back.
Out: living off Yankees schadenfreude. Don’t get us wrong: we love a good “Theeee Yankees lose” around here. But celebrating Yankee misery would feel much sweeter if the Sox were winning. The team now has two legit new pitchers in Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, All-Stars Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers, and a ton of young talent in the pipeline. Want to really put the Yankees in their place? Kick their butts on the diamond.
In: more WNBA games at TD Garden. Last year’s sellout crowd for the Connecticut Sun’s game at the Garden proved people around here are down with women’s basketball. Now, how about a playoff rematch between the Sun and Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on Causeway Street? They’ll have the city buzzing like the NBA Finals are back in town.
Out: Tom Brady’s broadcasting. Is he completely horrible at it? Not quite. In fact, he’s gotten better as the season’s progressed. But come on. He’s a partial NFL owner who’s already limited in what he can and can’t say in the booth. Just make your money, help the Raiders find a QB, and give us Greg Olsen with the top broadcasting team like we deserve.
BOSTON SPORTS
Quick hits & headlines
Image: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
😬 “Nothing good” from that Patriots game. The Pats got schooled by rookie WR Ladd McConkey, who had more receiving yards (94 yards) Sunday than Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have all year, and Drake Maye took some vicious hits in New England’s 40-7 loss to the Chargers. The good news: the Patriots now own the top pick in the draft thanks to the Giants’ surprise win over the Colts. Ready the tanks next week!
👯♂️ Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown’s bromance blossoms. Beyond his knack for sinking half-court shots, Pritchard might be the best hype man ever — crediting his near-triple-double Friday to wearing Brown’s “741” shoes and giving his All-Star teammate love for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. At this rate, their joint pressers are giving the Jayson Tatum-Derrick White combo a run as far as entertainment value.
🦵🏈 Adam Vinatieri makes NFL Hall-of-Fame finalist round. The ex-Pats Super Bowl hero got one step closer to becoming the fifth placekicker to gain entry to Canton while Boston College legend Luke Kuechly also made the final 15. Meanwhile, former Patriot Rodney Harrison missed out on the final round … again. What’s the 2x First Team All-Pro and Super Bowl champ got to do to get in?
0️⃣ Walker Buehler = Agent Zero. Boston’s newest starting pitcher is about to join Adam Ottavino and Brandon Phillips as the only three players in Red Sox history to wear No. 0. That simple act makes Buehler the coolest pitcher the Sox have had since Pedro Martinez. Now if he can just re-create his World Series-winning strikeout in a Boston uniform.
💨 Triston Casas turning into Usain Bolt? After ducking a potential trade to Seattle, the Red Sox first baseman is working on beefing up his stolen base numbers next year with some offseason speed work. Maybe resident speed merchant Jarren Duran can teach him a few pointers.
LAST CALL
Saw that coming …
Image: Michael Dwyer/AP
You hired Mayo knowing you have possibly the worst roster in football. What did they think the team was going to look like? – @kabongod1, X
A lot like this, sadly.
We all knew what this squad was coming into the year: one of the worst teams in football. Now that they’ve proven us right, we’re suddenly surprised? None of this absolves Jerod Mayo for his weekly press conference gaffes or head-scratching in-game decisions. But this is the most talent-deficient Patriots team we’ve seen this millennium. The roster needs to change even more than the head coach does. Still, is Mayo the right man to turn improved pieces into a contender? The jury is not convinced.
THEY SAID IT, NOT ME
Fixing time in Foxboro?
Image: Jim Davis/AP
It’s absolutely surreal. I don’t think you can prepare for it.
Fabian Lysell on his Boston Bruins debut in Saturday’s 4-0 win.
If changes aren’t made, then what are we doing?
Keion White on the Patriots’ outlook.
They pay to sit in those seats … if we play better, we don’t have to hear that stuff.
Jerod Mayo on hearing Patriots fans calling for his firing.
GAME … SET … MEME
Silver-linings playbook
Drake Maye breaks his interception streak. Who said there were no positives from this Patriots game? Maye had his first INT-less game since October 27! Now, if he can stop taking shots to the head or terrible fourth-down sacks, we’re really cooking.
🗞 That’s a wrap. I’ll be pushing to attend the Patriots’ season finale so Maye can finally hear me shouting at him to run out of bounds or throw the ball away. Should be plenty of tickets available…
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