Patriots Players Speak Out on Trade Deadline That Didn’t Live Up to Expectations
The New England Patriots have fans dreaming about what the club can accomplish after it ended Week 9 at 7-2.
Thus, some supporters were left disappointed when the Patriots declined to make a significant move ahead of this past Tuesday's trade deadline. For a piece published on Thursday morning, Karen Guregian of MassLive shared what New England players had to say about the club standing pat this week.
Stefon Diggs didn't lose sleep over trade-deadline rumors
"I didn’t really think too much about it," wide receiver Stefon Diggs said about the Patriots' lack of trade-deadline activity. "I just felt like, obviously, that’s above my pay grade. But I think, if they were to grab some guys, whatever the case may be, it would be in the best interest of the team. But I didn’t think too much of it."
Earlier in the week, Kevin Patra of the NFL's website noted that the Patriots needed a pass-rusher ahead of the trade deadline. Talents such as Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants reportedly could've been acquired in exchange for a first-round draft pick. Bradley Chubb of the Miami Dolphins was also linked with other teams throughout October.
Are Patriots in "great place" after standing pat at trade deadline?
"We have confidence in the guys in the locker room. We built a great chemistry and atmosphere with one another," veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses said about the Patriots. "We come in here and try to get one percent better every day ...I think we’re in a great place right now."
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Patriots 12th among the betting favorites at +2500 odds to win Super Bowl LX this coming February. Such information may help explain why New England didn't sacrifice future draft assets to go all-in this fall. It sounds like defensive lineman Milton Williams is fine with the fact that the Patriots left some fans wanting more this week.
"We’re 7-2 with the guys we got in this room," Williams added. "I think most of it is for the future. They’re trying to make sure they’re making all the right moves for the future. I’m just saying that from my point of view. I don’t know. But with my group, our group, I feel like we’ve been playing good all year. We just gotta keep it going."
The Patriots will try to keep it going when they play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) this coming Sunday. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had New England as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
Steelers Legend Speaks Out Against Philadelphia Eagles
This past offseason was full of chatter about the "Tush Push" but it died down after it was revealed that the play wouldn't be banned as it is currently used for the 2025 season.
While this is the case, the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the news once again. The Eagles used the play a few times Week 2 and it led to an outcry. People all over social media -- and the broadcast -- have started calling for the play to go away once again citing difficult to officiate the play as well as potential false starts from Philadelphia. There's a lot of noise out there for a play that picks up one or two yards.
There was a lot of chatter, especially on Monday. One person who weighed in with an opinion against the play was Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher on the "Dan Patrick Show."
"I have been against the play for two years," Cowher said. "I've made my feelings quite known. It's not a football play. It's a scrum. When they had that rugby, Dan. You know what they did? They eliminated the scrum. They took it out because it wasn't a safe play. We keep it in the NFL. Make sense of that one. They get rid of it because of years. Are we going to have to wait for some catastrophic injury to change it? I don't think it's a good-looking play.
"I know that Philadelphia is good at it. It has nothing to do with the Philadelphia Eagles for me. But, you know, I think you saw that play yesterday. How many times did we see it because of our technology today that they are leaving before the snap. I don't know how we can somehow look at that play and understand that it is an injury waiting to happen, I think, personally, and it isn't even a good-looking play."
It's only Week 3. This, unfortunately, is probably just the beginning of the "Tush Push" noise.
