Warm reception if Hogan returns
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Wide receiver Chris Hogan traveled with the Patriots for tonight’s game against the Miami Dolphins, according to a source. Hogan missed the previous four games with a shoulder injury but has a good chance to return at Hard Rock Stadium.
Hogan, who returned to practice last week on a limited basis, would mitigate the sting of tight end Rob Gronkowski’s one-game suspension.
When Hogan went down in Week 8, he was third on the Pats with 33 receptions and 438 yards, and he was tied for the team lead with five touchdowns.
The Patriots made some other decisions regarding player health last night, downgrading defensive end Trey Flowers (rib), special-teamer Brandon King (hamstring) and running back Mike Gillislee (illness) from questionable to out. All three stayed home.
Flowers will miss his second game, while Gillislee is out for the fifth consecutive game. King will miss his first game due to the hamstring.
Among the other uncertain players, only defensive end Deatrich Wise (foot) made the trip.
What’s Cooking?
Just 15 days ago, Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks had his way with the Dolphins defense.
The question tonight is whether or not the Dolphins will allow that to happen again, or if they even have a choice in the matter.
The major difference this time around is the Dolphins no longer have to account for Gronkowski, so they can divert a safety in Cooks’ direction. Then again, it’d hardly be the first time a defense has tried that tactic on Cooks, who leads the Patriots this season with 886 receiving yards and is second with 53 catches and seven touchdowns.
Cooks isn’t expecting any wholesale changes from the Dolphins. He can’t prepare for ghosts, so he’ll go by what he has seen on film. And so far, those defensive looks have been consistent.
“They have great players over there who play great,” said Cooks, who caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Pats’ 35-17 win against the Dolphins in Week 12. “They’ve got a great defense. It’s one of those things where what they do is what they do because they’re confident in it, and they do it well from my perspective.
“As far as changing things, I don’t get into that. I’ll let the coaches handle that part of it and put me in position the best way they can for me to help the team win.”
They meet again
The Pats had an interesting coverage plan in Week 12, most notably with nickel cornerback Jonathan Jones taking the brunt of the snaps against Dolphins leading receiver Jarvis Landry.
Landry had eight catches for 70 yards, but he only beat Jones four times on five targets for 31 yards. Jones added a breakup on fourth down. Landry added a 15-yard catch against cornerback Malcolm Butler, a 9-yarder against linebacker Elandon Roberts, a reception for no gain against linebacker Kyle Van Noy and a 15-yarder against a zone. Jones is ready for round two. “He’s a good receiver,” Jones said. “You have to bring your ‘A’ game every week when you face him. Definitely have to be prepared and expect his best.
“He’s a competitor. You see it in his play and his production. He’s a competitor, and they try to get him the ball.”
Jones has played tremendously well in his second season, allowing 18 catches on 41 targets for 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He is second on the Patriots with eight pass breakups.
The undrafted product from Georgia took over the third corner job from Eric Rowe, who recently returned from a torn groin.
Mr. December
Tom Brady is the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback, so his results are consistent regardless of the date on the calendar. But with 55 wins in December, he has the mostever victories in the most important month of the regular season.
Coach Bill Belichick said there’s a reason for that.
“We all want to play and coach our best football at this time of year. Tom is in that group,” Belichick said. “These are the most important games. We’re playing for the AFC East championship this week, so you want to play your best and he does. I want to coach my best, and I think we all feel the same way about that. Tom is a very competitive guy. He works hard every week. But yeah, when there’s a little bit more at stake and the ante moves up, I think you compete a little bit harder. You prepare a little bit harder. Tom does a great job playing under pressure and handling big games.”
Perspective
Butler on the potential for another AFC East championship.
“It’ll be good, but I’ve been around here for a good while and that’s not enough,” he said. “I’ve been to two championships in three years. The only thing that counts in my book is the last game of the season.”