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Tom Brady has five Super Bowl championships

Byron Cowart Jersey Draft , three NFL MVP awards and more victories than any quarterback in a career spanning nearly two decades.One thing he doesn't have: a loss to the Bears. Not that he wants one.Brady looks to remain unbeaten against them when the New England Patriots visit Chicago on Sunday.The Bears are 0-4 and one of five teams never to beat him, along with Atlanta (5-0), Dallas (4-0), Minnesota (4-0) and Tampa Bay (4-0). And he isn't slowing down at 41 years old."I admire his competitiveness and just following his journey and what he's had to overcome to be able to get where he's at," Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said. "It's very admirable and doing it this long this well over a long period of time is pretty incredible."Brady already had more victories than any quarterback when the Patriots (4-2) beat the Kansas City Chiefs 43-40 last week. That made him the first with 200 regular-season wins.Brady came through , passing for 340 yards and a touchdown while running for another score. He also helped set up Stephen Gostkowski's 28-yard winning field goal, and the Patriots amassed season highs in points and yards (500).The Bears (3-2) lost 31-28 in overtime at Miami after winning three in a row. They remained in sole possession of the NFC North lead, though star pass rusher Khalil Mack injured his right ankle.Trubisky threw for 316 yards, three TDs and an interception last week. He has 670 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception over the past two games."I think he's done a good job of getting ball to the players that are open or in space and letting them be playmakers," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He has a lot of them. That's the quarterback's job is to deliver the ball to the playmakers and let them go. I think he's done a good job of that. He's a tough kid, which I respect. That's what we would ask our quarterbacks to do, to make plays to help our team win, to get the ball to the players that are open and in space. It's not about stats."Here are some things to know as New England goes for its fourth straight win and Chicago tries to avoid its first losing streak:MACK HURTINGMack's ankle would be a big concern no matter who the Bears were playing. The fact that they're facing Brady and the Patriots only adds to it.Mack stayed in against Miami after being injured early in the game. But the two-time All-Pro's streak of at least one sack and one forced fumble in each of the first four games ended.With Mack less than 100 percent, the defense wasn't the same.Chicago never sacked Brock Osweiler. The Bears got run over by Frank Gore for 101 yards. And defenders missed tackles on Albert Wilson , turning two shorter passes into long touchdowns.HOME AND AWAYNew England is 0-2 away from home, while the Bears are 2-0 at Soldier Field.With a loss, the Patriots would match their worst road start since 1995. Chicago hasn't been 3-0 at home since winning its first four at Soldier Field in 2012.ROOKIE WATCHThe neck injury to Rex Burkhead in Week 3 and his subsequent injured reserve designation created a hole at running back for the Patriots. Rookie Sony Michel has stepped up to fill the gap nicely.After not scoring a rushing touchdown over the first three weeks of the season, the Patriots have seven over the last three. Michel has four of them, including two 100-yard rushing games.Michel's production has helped bolster an offense that has scored 30 or more points in three straight games. The Patriots averaged just 19 points per game in their first three, losing twice. Michel missed all four preseason games with a knee issue and said he's gotten more comfortable each week.PICKING IT OFFNew England's defense has an interception in all six games in 2018. It is the first time the team has had six consecutive games with a pick since 2013, when it did it in eight straight.The team record for most games to start the season with at least one interception is 11 in 1985. The Patriots intercepted Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes twice in their 43-40 victory last week.YARDWORKChicago's Tarik Cohen eyes his third straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.He caught seven passes for 90 yards and ran for 31 against Miami coming off a career performance two weeks earlier vs. Tampa Bay. The second-year pro set personal highs in yards receiving (121) and yards from scrimmage (174) against the Buccaneers. Mark Schofield breaks down which passers are still available for the Patriots."WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementNFL DraftPatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoverageStacking the quarterback options for day two of the NFL draftNew,8commentsRead more: The 40 best players remaining after the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft EDTShareTweetShareShareStacking the quarterback options for day two of the NFL draftBen Queen-USA TODAY SportsThe New England Patriots addressed a need on the offensive side of the football in the first round of the 2019 Draft, selecting wide receiver K’Neal Harry out of Arizona State. Looking ahead to the second round, the Patriots have five selections to work with Byron Cowart NFL Jersey , two in the second round and three in the third round. Might the organization look to address the future of the quarterback position with one of those picks? Here is a quick refresher on the QBs currently on the board as the draft enters its second day.Drew Lock, MissouriLock was not a part of the pre-draft series on quarterback fits for the Patriots because, frankly, it was widely assumed he would be off the board by the time New England was on the clock at 32. A four-year starter for the Tigers, Lock has the kind of arm talent and easy velocity that traditionally gets NFL scouts and coaches excited. After a strong week in Mobile during the Senior Bowl practices, many believed Lock would come off the board as high as the tenth pick to the Denver Broncos.But in a first round filled with many surprises, Lock woke up today still wondering about his NFL destination. Could he fit in New England? His ability to generate velocity and deliver on impressive throws like this one could fit in most offenses:He will need some mechanical refinement, and time to develop mentally. During his first three seasons in college, Lock was running a facsimile of the Baylor/Art Briles offense, with the majority of throws coming along the sidelines on a handful of routes. Lock took a step forward last year under Derek Dooley, showing more of an ability to attack the middle of the field, but he’ll need to develop further his proficiency in reading coverages and attacking them. With the chance to sit and learn - and perhaps stew a bit over not being drafted in the first round - Lock could be the kind of developmental quarterback with upside the Patriots could covet at the position.Will Grier, West VirginiaGrier was linked to the Patriots as early as the first round, with many mock drafts on the eve of the draft sending the confident passer to Foxborough. Grier’s calling card is his confidence, and his film is filled with plays where he makes what looks to be an aggressive, even risky, decision, but upon further review it was the right read for the moment and structure of the play. There were some questions about his arm strength, but from his film I came away believing he had everything necessary to play quarterback in New England’s offense. I’m on record as projecting him to the Patriots with that 97th pick, and that is certainly in play tonight. Ryan Finley, North Carolina StateViewed as a likely Day Three selection early in the draft process, Finley has generated some late buzz in the past few weeks, with some even believing he could sneak into the first round. He might be a player to watch come off the board earlier than expected tonight, as recent mocks from people such as Todd McShay of ESPN and Ben Standig of NBC Sports have the experienced passer coming off the board to the Dolphins with the 48th selection overall. Finley’s strengths as a passer, from his mental approach to his ability to run timing and rhythm concepts Byron Cowart NFL Draft , fit extremely well in the Patriots’ system. That might be why the Dolphins are a consideration, as new offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea is expected to install a similar system given his coaching background in New England. If, however, Finley makes it past the Dolphins tonight, the Patriots are likely in play. One of those last two third rounds picks would be the sweet spot for him in this draft. Tyree Jackson, BuffaloWith his combination of arm talent, size, athleticism and potential, Jackson might have the highest ceiling of any of the passers left on the board. The question, however, might be what his floor looks like. His arm talent just jumps out at film and, let’s be honest, any chance you get to rewatch a play like this, you take advantage:The scheme fit piece might work against Jackson coming to New England. He is a pure vertical passer at this point in his development, more a fit for an Air Coryell system (such as Carolina or Tampa Bay) than a timing and rhythm system like New England’s that stresses ball placement and accuracy. But if the Patriots envision running a different offense in a post-Tom Brady world, perhaps Jackson would be the quarterback they would develop to run such a system. Jarrett Stidham, AuburnAs previously outlined, Stidham’s evaluation was hampered by the Auburn offense he was running the past two seasons. That system was likely not the ideal environment for a quarterback who is more of a traditional pocket passer like Stidham. Digging through the route concepts you saw flashes of how he would be used in the NFL, and he showed an ability to push the ball downfield as well as deliver on more timing based routes, designs he would be running in New England.The best part of his draft cycle was the Senior Bowl, when a strong case could be made that he was the best passer down in Mobile. He looked very comfortable running Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and in talking with him you got the sense that he loved running a scheme that fit more with his talents as a passer. New England could be another great offense for him and throws like this one help bolster that case:Stidham makes a snap read of the defense, and once he identifies the coverage he hits his drop depth and immediately delivers a strike on this post route to move the chains. This timing and rhythm throw, coupled with the quick read, have be thinking the Patriots could be the system for him. Clayton Thorson Byron Cowart Buffalo Bills Jersey , NorthwesternThorson flew under the radar this draft cycle, likely due to the fact that he did not make the trip to Mobile for the Senior Bowl with an ankle injury. Despite that, Jim Nagy, the event’s executive direction, stated in a press conference that teams were viewing the Northwestern quarterback as a round three player. Thorson is clean mechanically with a quick, crisp release. He shows decent footwork in the pocket and good velocity and ball placement in the short and intermediate areas of the field. He can also click and climb the pocket in response to outside or edge pressure. He showed the ability to learn from his mistakes over the course of a game, an example being some of the decisions he made early against Nevada in 2017 and how he ironed those out over the course of that one contest. He shows bursts of anticipation throws, even working the middle of the field, such as on consecutive throws in the second quarter against Minnesota. He is active in the pre-snap phase of the play, both coming from the sideline and on his own initiative. When pressured, he can keep his eyes downfield and scan for targets. On the flip side, Thorson’s accuracy can be spotty on making anticipation throws. From his 2016 and 2017 tape there were not a lot of throws more than 10 yards downfield, but that seemed to pick up a bit in 2018. He can be late at times with decisions, and he will need to speed up his decision-making. In the first quarter against Notre Dame the Wildcats ran a Smash concept and he not only missed the open corner route, but his throw to the hitch was late and could have been intercepted. There are also many examples of him just being a beat late with throws. Even on moments when he works quickly and makes full field reads, sometimes the execution is lacking. Against Notre Dame in the third quarter this season Northwestern ran two different passing concepts, and he worked quickly through his reads and threw a dig route over the middle, but his throw was high and behind the receiver and fell incomplete.There are other passers I would prefer New England select in this draft, including each of the quarterbacks listed here, but it would be a pick that would be understandable given what he brings to the table.Brett Rypien, Boise StateI’m not giving up this ghost. Not yet at least.So will one of these quarterback need to make travel plans to New England later tonight? Only time will tell. But with five picks to work with, Bill Belichick and company have a lot of options in front of them, and some interesting decisions to make.

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  • Created: Jul 23 '19
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