It’s time to lock up Brown
Left tackle rock solid
Tom Brady wasn’t going to have a chance. Without a top-notch blindside protector, he was going to be toast. At least, that was the primary storyline when the Patriots saw left tackle Nate Solder sign a monster free agent contract with the New York Giants in March. Have to admit, I was among those pressing the panic button. It was hard imagining the Patriots coming up with an adequate replacement after Solder’s departure. Left tackles don’t just fall out of trees. The good ones, anyway. But I clearly missed the barn on that because they hit the jackpot with the solution. The Patriots found another franchise left tackle in Trent Brown. They were pretty shrewd in assessing Brown and his situation in San Francisco, and also managed to get him at a low cost (third round pick). The issue at hand? Brown is in the final year of his existing deal. What they decide to do with him going forward will provide plenty of debate fodder between now and free agency. Me? I’d be on the phone with his agent right now, trying to lock him up. He’s 25 years old, with plenty of good years left to protect Brady during his final years, however many those might be. But the Patriots probably are not thinking like that. They’re saying, “Not so fast.” They won’t commit to Brown or trying to extend him for several reasons. At the top of the list, they still have Isaiah Wynn in the stable. He’s a first-round pick, but suffered a torn left Achilles tendon injury right out of the gate. If they lock up Brown, where is Wynn, who was taken 23rd overall, going to play? Think they want him sitting on the bench next year? ESPN analyst Damien Woody agreed. There’s no way Wynn sits on the bench if he’s healthy. “Wynn is a first-round pick. He is going to play barring some complications from the Achilles injury. You don’t draft a guy in the first round, and he just doesn’t play,” Woody said when reached Friday. “But the great thing about Trent Brown, he has a quality that Bill (Belichick) loves. He’s versatile. He can play right tackle and left tackle. There’s not many guys in the NFL that can do both. That’s valuable. And when you’re valuable you cost money. So that’s going to be a pretty interesting dilemma as far as how the Patriots navigate what his worth is.” Right tackle Marcus Cannon is signed through 2021, so that spot probably won’t work out for Wynn or Brown unless they’re willing to trade Cannon. Wynn could also play guard, which is the position many projected him to play in the NFL, but the Patriots extended Shaq Mason, and Joe Thuney has been playing exceptionally well. So there’s the predicament. If you give Brown a big contract, and you can bet his agent Drew Rosenhaus will want him paid like a top left tackle, what happens to Wynn? There are other considerations. The Patriots also have others on their list of pending free agents they might like to keep, namely defensive lineman Trey Flowers. He’s the top priority. There isn’t much question about that. Can they pay both Flowers and Brown? But what’s the guarantee Wynn comes back in top form after a major Achilles injury? The ability to plant with his feet is so important. That complicates the issue should they let Brown get to free agency. Because someone is sure to pay him top dollar, just like Solder. “That Achilles injury is not an easy deal. It ended my career. I tore my Achilles and that was it,” said Woody. “I was a lot older than Isaiah Wynn. But it’s going to force the Patriots to make a decision. Trent Brown has been playing good. When you got the guru Dante Scarnecchia coaching you, he’s going to bring the best out of you.” If Wynn needs time, and isn’t quite right, do the Patriots want more uncertainty at that position when they’ve got a rock right now? Last week, Scarnecchia, who deserves credit for Brown’s development, praised the big man but also believes he’s far from a finished product. “He’s gone up against a lot of great pass rushers like any left tackle in this league. I think he has acquitted himself pretty well, but he’s a work in progress,” said Scarnecchia. “We are pleased with the way he has gone about his business and we are pleased with the way he has developed but like all of us we have a ways to go here.” What pleases Scarnecchia the most is Brown’s willingness to work, and desire to be better. “I think that’s the biggest thing, he really wants to be a good player. He wants to work at being a good player and he wants to be someone we can rely on. He wants all those things,” said Scarnecchia. “I think that’s a great place to start and he hasn’t backed off of it and he continues to be coachable. I think he’s a great kid and he keeps trying to get better and we keep trying to get him better.” The 6-foot-8, 380-pound lineman, who missed a couple of days of practice last week due to illness, returning Friday, has only allowed two sacks of Brady in nine games. Brown has talked about how much Scarnecchia has helped improve his game, and how much he enjoys being in New England. He knows it’s helped his career. One way or another, he’ll be cashing in. “It’s a very interesting situation that bears watching,” said Woody. “The Patriots have some time, but if Wynn is healthy, they’ll go with the cheaper option. That’s what’s going to happen.”
Darnold on the shelf
After the bye week, the Patriots head to the Meadowlands for their first encounter with the Jets. The Daily News reports Gang Green being hopeful rookie Sam Darnold would be healthy in time for the Week 12 showdown at MetLife Stadium while others on One Jets Drive weren’t as overly optimistic. Darnold, who’s been in a walking boot, injured a foot during last week’s loss to the Dolphins where he threw four interceptions. “We don’t want to rush things,” said Darnold, via the Daily News. “That’s one thing we don’t want to do. Yeah, I’m eager to get back out there on the field with my guys, but at the same time, I got to take care of my body first and foremost.” Veteran Josh McCown will start in his place today against the Bills and perhaps against the Patriots. Given Darnold has regressed in recent weeks, having him on the sidelines with an injury might not be the worst turn of events. “It could be the Josh McCown show for a few weeks,” said Woody, “and for Sam it might not be a bad idea for him to watch how Josh goes about his business. I think you can learn in that situation as well.”
Fostering good will
Prior to heading to Nashville, Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy spent Friday night taking a very large contingent of kids from Massachusetts Wonderfund (an organization that supports children in foster care) to an advance screening of Paramount Pictures “Instant Family,” which stars Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne. The movie is a comedy that depicts the challenges and joys of foster care and adoption. The subject hits home with Van Noy, who was adopted as a baby. “The movie shines a light on foster care based on a true story. It’s something I went through. Mark Wahlberg is a main character and he did a big part of it in Massachusetts because he’s from here,” Van Noy said prior to the screening. “We’re having 130 foster care kids come and watch it. It’s going to be a good time. It’s going to be big.” Van Noy was expected to speak to the kids before the movie. He didn’t have a particular message. He’s just a beacon for those who are adopted or wind up in foster care who might be having a tough time. “I just want to shine a light on foster care, I want to shine a light on adoption, I want to help out struggling youth in communities, said Van Noy, “I want to be a light, and have success for them and show them anything you want to do in life is possible.” Van Noy and his wife Marissa have a foundation that also supports and works with foster families.