FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Quarterback Tom Brady and defensive end Rob Ninkovich return from four-game suspensions on Monday, but if recent NFL precedent applies, the club shouldn’t have to make roster moves to account for them until later in the week. Teams are usually granted a short-term roster exemption for players returning from suspension, with the most recent example coming last week with Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who was reinstated Monday while the club had until Thursday at 4 p.m. ET to clear a spot for him on the roster. As I understand it, the exemptions are related to the Patriots’ signing of tight end Greg Scruggs on Saturday, as the team is operating with the idea that it has some flexibility to take a closer look at some free agents who could eventually be part of their “shadow roster” (players who would be near the top of the list in the event of injuries).
2. Of all the storylines that have been well covered in the Patriots’ impressive 3-0 start, one that probably has been overlooked is the value of fullback James Develin, as the team’s two-back package has been a big part of the success of the running game. When Develin broke his leg in the third preseason game last year, the team didn’t have much depth behind him and essentially played the year without a lead-blocking fullback, which is a scenario it hopes to avoid in 2016. So that’s why the Patriots signed fullback Glenn Gronkowski to their practice squad Saturday, and also why veteran fullback Marcel Reece was in for a workout late last week. It has been said that the old-school fullback was on the verge of extinction, but it’s made a comeback of sorts in New England so far this year.
2b. Did You Know: Develin averaged 15.1 offensive snaps per game in the 2014 season. Through three games this year, he’s averaging 21.6 offensive snaps per game.
3. The Patriots’ signing of Glenn Gronkowski (formerly with the Bills) one day before New England hosts Rex Ryan’s Buffalo team sparked memories of a similar transaction in 2010. One day before facing Ryan’s Jets team, the Patriots signed one of his former players, running back Danny Woodhead. I remember some speculating that perhaps the Patriots were only bringing Woodhead in to pilfer him for Jets-based information, but as it turned out, the club had already left for New York when Woodhead arrived to sign his contract. The idea at that time was the same as the Patriots’ thinking with Gronkowski -- a team never knows when it might need that depth at a key position in its offense. With Woodhead, that turned out to be a master stroke.
4. Recovering running back Dion Lewis walked through the Patriots’ locker room during Friday’s media-access period, which sparked a call to check in on his status as he recovers from a “clean-up” surgery on his previously injured left knee. At this point, I’m told everything has responded well and Lewis is operating with optimism that he will be back on the field soon. Having started the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, he isn’t eligible to begin practicing until Week 7, but his visit to the stadium Friday was part of the process of getting ready and re-integrating himself into the mix.
5. The most consistent question I’ve heard as it relates to Brady’s return from suspension is when he can officially return to the team. An NFL spokesman confirmed it is Oct. 3, and no time was specified by the league, so the interpretation is that Brady could show up at the stroke of midnight if he so desires.
5b. Receiver Julian Edelman on what it says about the Patriots to be 3-0 without Brady: “It tells you that we have a mentally tough team that goes out there and works hard and prepares hard and does the extra thing. I’ve been around here a little while [since 2009], and that’s kind of the mentality we’ve always had and tried to continue to grow.”
6. As the Bills scrambled to fill out their receiver depth chart late this week with Sammy Watkins out because of a foot injury -- claiming Justin Hunter on waivers -- it struck me that they partly created those issues by not placing a middle-level tender on restricted free agent Chris Hogan in the offseason. For an extra $900,000, they could have pretty much ensured Hogan (their No. 3 receiver last year) returned for another season, but by choosing the low tender ($1.6 million) over the middle tender in part because of salary-cap considerations, they left themselves vulnerable to another team pouncing on Hogan without having to give up draft-pick compensation. The Patriots did so and Hogan is off to a strong start through three games, playing more than any receiver (175 of 215), totaling eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown and adding a hard-nosed edge as a downfield blocker in the running game.
7. Catching up with a few former Patriots: Wide receiver Brandon LaFell is averaging a healthy 63 offensive snaps per game with the Bengals and has totaled 13 catches for 208 yards. … Outside linebacker Chandler Jones is averaging 66.6 defensive snaps per game with the Cardinals and has been credited with nine tackles and three sacks. … Josh Kline started at right guard for Tennessee in Week 3 and was praised by coach Mike Mularkey. … Defensive tackle Dominique Easley played 34 snaps in the Rams’ win over the Buccaneers, and had one tackle and one quarterback hit. … Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill played 18 special teams snaps in the Eagles’ blowout win over the Steelers and record a tackle. … Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc made his NFL debut for the Bears, playing 32 defensive snaps (1 tackle). … Corneback Darryl Roberts has been inactive for each of the Jets’ first three games.
8. Eric Mangini’s remarks to the New York Post last week about regretting how Spygate became such a big deal echoed what he previously said on the topic, so the biggest thing I took from his most recent public comments is that there still hasn’t been anything that has brought Mangini and Patriots coach Bill Belichick together. I’m not sure that will ever happen.
9. In a sign of how things have changed from 2014, when he was a big story leading into the first Patriots-Bills matchup of that season, and then last year when he returned to New England but was quickly released after an off-field incident, old friend Brandon Spikes flew under the radar this week. Back in Buffalo, and back in the NFL after missing all of 2015, Spikes returns to Gillette Stadium as a backup in his second stint with the Bills. Spikes, who said he “let a lot of people down” during his brief return to the Patriots in 2015, is playing sparingly (13 defensive snaps in two games) but has provided a veteran locker-room presence after second-round pick Reggie Ragland was lost to a knee injury.
10. Interesting story relayed by former Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel on “The Tim Graham Show” on 1270 The Fan last week in Buffalo, as he said then-Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo and Bill Belichick had the general parameters in place on a 2010 draft-day trade that would have sent tight end Greg Olsen to the Patriots for a second-round pick. Gabriel relayed on the show that the Bears were anticipating a phone call from the Patriots that day, but it never came after New England traded up in the second round to pick Rob Gronkowski. The Bears ended up trading Olsen the following season to Carolina. That worked out well for the Patriots and Panthers, and not so much for the Bears.
