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Patriots Lose to Miami in NFL Opener

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 202 yards and a go-ahead three-yard touchdown to rookie Jaylen Waddle as the Dolphins spoiled New England’s rookie quarterback Mac Jones’ NFL debut with a 17-16 win over the Patriots in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.

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Waddle, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, grabbed his first career touchdown catch with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter to put Miami on top for good at 17-10. Nick Folk‘s 42-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third and another from 33 yards out at 10:36 of the fourth pulled New England within 17-16.

Tagovailoa, who also had a rushing touchdown, finished 16-for-27 passing and was also intercepted by New England defensive back Jonathan Jones with 8:07 to play in the fourth. Mac Jones and the Patriots drove 41 yards before running back Damien Harris lost a fumble at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line.

Waddle finished with four catches for 61 yards and the score and DeVante Parker had four catches for a team-high 81 yards for Miami (1-0).

Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown in his pro debut. Harris rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries and Nelson Agholor made five catches for 72 yards and a score for New England (0-1).

Miami and New England were tied 10-10 at halftime.

Tagovailoa capped a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive with a three-yard TD run off the right tackle to put the Dolphins up 7-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter. Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board at 10:17 of the second.

Jones connected with Agholor for his first career touchdown pass with 2:30 left in the half to put New England ahead 10-7. The rookie faked a handoff to Harris before firing a seven-yard strike to Agholor.

Jones and Tagovailoa were teammates at the University of Alabama. Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in the 2017 season and Jones guided the program to its 18th title last season.

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Brady Leads Bucs to Win vs Cowboys

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TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Reporting) – Tampa Bay place kicker Ryan Succop laced a 36-yard field goal with two seconds left, after Bucs’ aging but amazing quarterback, Tom Brady, passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-29 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the 2021 NFL season.

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The win for Tampa began their 2021 Super Bowl defense but the Cowboys did not go down easy as they rallied to take a 29-28 lead when kicker Greg Zuerlein placed  a 48-yard field goal between the uprights with 1:24 remaining in the game before Brady drove the Buccaneers 57 yards on 11 plays to set up Succop’s game-winning field goal.

Brady, 44, completed 32 of 50 passes and was intercepted twice during his 300th career regular-season start. Brady’s compadre from New England, Rob Gronkowski, caught eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdown passes while Antonio Brown (five receptions, 121 yards) and Chris Godwin (nine for 105) also had scoring receptions for the Buccaneers (1-0).

Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns but one interception on 42-of-58 passing for Dallas (0-1) in his first game since sustaining a severe right ankle injury nearly 11 months ago. Dallas wide-out Amari Cooper had a career-best 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns while his fellow wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, had seven catches for 104 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay led by two late in the game and looked en route to adding to the advantage, but Godwin was hit hard by Damontae Kazee and fumbled at the 2-yard line. Jourdan Lewis recovered in the end zone and returned it to the Dallas 10 with 4:52 remaining. The Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Zuerlein’s go-ahead kick. The key play was when Prescott connected with Lamb for 34 yards on third-and-11 to the Buccaneers’ 34.

Brady guided the comeback on a night when the Buccaneers were outgained 451 yards to 431. The Cowboys were without six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin due to a positive test for COVID-19.

In the first half, Brady threw a trifecta of touchdown passes to Godwin (5 yards), Gronkowski (2) and Brown (47) as the Buccaneers built a 21-16 lead. Prescott tossed scoring passes to Lamb (22 yards) and Cooper (5).

 

NFL’s Nassib Makes Announcement

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WEST CHESTER (PENN) – Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib said in a public social media announcement that he is gay, making him the first active NFL player to acknowledge his homosexuality.

He made his personal announcement on social media outlet, Instagram.

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“I’m at my house here in West Chester, Pennsylvania,” Nassib, 28, said. “I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.

“I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that like one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I am gonna do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate.”

Raiders team owner Mark Davis said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “These are personal decisions. It’s 2021, and he’s a Raider. If he’s happy, I’m happy. It takes courage. I thought we got to the point where this wasn’t (a prominent news story). It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a man or as a Raider.”

Eli Manning Helps NY Giants Sports Biz

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EAST RUTHERFORD – Former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl champion Eli Manning is back with the franchise in a front-office role, about 18 months after his final game as New York’s quarterback.

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Manning, who led the team to two Super Bowl championships, will work in business development, marketing, and community and corporate relations areas. In addition, he will contribute to content development and fan activities, which include a lifestyle series for broadcast to debut in the fall.

The team also announced Monday that Manning will be inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor and his No. 10 jersey retired during a special halftime ceremony Sept. 26 when the Giants host the Atlanta Falcons at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Manning, 40, said he is delighted to accept the new job and to become the 43rd member of the Ring of Honor.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back,” Manning said. “Staying involved with this organization is very important to me. I love the organization, love the Giants and the fans, and so I want to do anything possible to help them out and be a part of it.”

Buffalo Bills to Rebuild (Stadium)

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ORCHARD PARK – The Buffalo Bills are planning to build a new outdoor stadium in the Buffalo suburbs of Orchard Park, multiple media reports said Friday.

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The facility would include partial covering for seating and would require up to five years to complete, with official opening no sooner than 2025 but more likely in the Fall of 2026 or 2027.

The WROC-TV report said downtown Buffalo was given strong consideration as a building site, but remaining in Orchard Park is more cost effective.

“The team still needs to obtain government approvals in a variety of areas, including funding. All of which could delay the timeline,” read the report.

NFL Releases Preseason Sked

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CANTON – A new normal for the NFL and its preseason will return this summer, beginning with the Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5. The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game kicks-off a schedule of three preseason games for each team, down from four in previous seasons. The extra game has been tacked on to the regular season, with each team playing 17 games instead of 16.

In another Week 1 preseason game of interest, fans will get their first glance at the revamped Jaguars, led by new coach Urban Meyer and No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, when the Cleveland Browns visit Jacksonville on Aug. 14.

The preseason wraps up Aug. 29.

The Cowboys will be featured in the regular-season opener, as well, when they visit the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 9.

The 2021 preseason week-by-week schedule, with all times Eastern:

WEEK 1
Thursday, Aug. 5
Pittsburgh and Dallas (Canton, Ohio), 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 12
Washington at New England, 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 13
Tennessee at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Arizona, 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 14
Miami at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Denver at Minnesota, 4 p.m.
New Orleans at Baltimore, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.

New York Jets at NY Giants, 7:30 pm

Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
Kansas City at San Francisco, 8:30 p.m.
Seattle at Las Vegas, 9 p.m.

Los Angeles Chargers at LA Rams, 10 pm

Sunday, Aug. 15
Carolina at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.

WEEK 2
Thursday, Aug. 19
New England at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 20
Kansas City at Arizona, 8 p.m.
Cincinnati at Washington, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 21
Buffalo at Chicago, 1 p.m.
New York Jets at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Baltimore at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Indianapolis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Las Vegas at Los Angeles Rams, 10 p.m.
Denver at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 22
New York Giants at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 23
Jacksonville at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

WEEK 3
Friday, Aug. 27
Indianapolis at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at New York Jets, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 28
Green Bay at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Washington, 6 p.m.
Chicago at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Houston, 8 p.m.
Arizona at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams at Denver, 9:05 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 29
Jacksonville at Dallas, 1 p.m.
Miami at Cincinnati, 4 p.m.
Las Vegas at San Francisco, 4 p.m.
New England at New York Giants, 6 p.m.
Cleveland at Atlanta, 8 p.m.

NFL: Patriots 2021 Schedule

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FOXBORO – (Courtesy New England Patriots/NFLcom) – The New England Patriots announced their full 2021 season schedule tonight, in a 17-game regular season format for the first time. The slate features three scheduled nationally televised games, including a home Sunday Night Football game against the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition to three primetime games, the Patriots will be featured in the marquee matchup of two games that will air as the second game of a double-header, with kickoffs scheduled at 4:25 p.m. ET.

The AFC was determined to be the home conference for the 17th game in 2021 and the Patriots will host the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 17 at 4:25 p.m. By hosting the 17th game in 2021, the AFC teams will host nine regular season games and one preseason game, while the NFC will have eight regular season games and two preseason home games.

In addition to hosting Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football on Oct. 3, the Patriots will be on the road for two other primetime games – a Thursday Night Football game at Atlanta on Nov. 18 and a Monday Night Football game at Buffalo on Dec. 6. The game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Falcons will be New England’s first regular season game at that venue and second appearance overall. New England defeated the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. The Patriots will play Buffalo on Monday night for the third straight season and for the second time in three seasons at Buffalo.

New England will square off against six playoff teams from 2020, with games against Buffalo, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Tennessee. In addition, the Patriots will play Houston for the seventh straight season despite not being in the same division. That mark is tied for the second-longest streak of games against a non-division opponent for New England. The Patriots faced Indianapolis for 10 straight seasons (2003-12) and Denver for seven straight seasons (2011-17). The only other non-division teams to meet at least seven consecutive seasons since 2002 were Buffalo and Kansas City, who played eight straight seasons from 2008-15.

In addition to playing each AFC East opponent twice, the Patriots will play one game against each AFC South and NFC South clubs. As the third-place finisher in the AFC East in 2020, the Patriots will also play the third-place team of the AFC North (Cleveland) and AFC West (Los Angles Chargers).

New England begins the 2021 season when they host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 4:25 p.m. It will mark the fifth straight season that the Patriots open at home and the second straight year opening against the Dolphins after a 21-11 win in Week 1 of the 2020 season. It is the first time in team history that the Patriots will open the season in the same location against the same opponent in consecutive years.

Overall, it is the ninth time the Patriots will open the year against Miami and the sixth time they will open at against the Dolphins at home. The Patriots will open the season with two division games, traveling to the Jets in Week 2 on Sept. 19. It is the fourth time since the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002 that the Patriots will open the year with two division opponents (2006, 09, and 13).

The Patriots will return to the confines of Gillette Stadium when they host back-to-back NFC South teams with a 1 p.m. game against New Orleans on Sept. 26, followed by the Sunday night game against the Buccaneers on Oct. 3. The Patriots will then play consecutive games against the Texas teams, traveling to Houston for the third straight season on Oct 10, followed by a home game against Dallas on Oct. 17.

After a home game against the Jets on Oct. 24, the Patriots will have their only back-to-back road contests, traveling to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 31, followed by a road game at Carolina on Nov. 7. In 2020, the Patriots had one set of back-to-back road games and a three-game road trip. Carolina (3-2) and Seattle (3-2) are the only teams that have winning regular season records against the Patriots since 2001.

The Patriots will play at home against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 14 and will have two primetime games in a three-week stretch with the Thursday game at Atlanta on Nov. 18, a home game against Tennessee on Nov. 28 and a Monday night game at Buffalo on Dec. 6.

Following the Monday game at Buffalo, the Patriots will have their bye week. The Week 14 bye is the latest since a Week 16 bye in 2001.

The date for the Patriots Week 15 game at Indianapolis will be either on Saturday Dec. 18 or Sunday Dec. 19. The date and time of that game will be determined later in the season. After back-to-back home games against Buffalo on Dec. 26 and Jacksonville on Jan. 2, the Patriots will close out the regular season for the 12th straight year against a division foe when they play at Miami on Jan. 9. It will mark the sixth time in team history that the Patriots will open and close the season against the same opponent. It also happened in 2003 and 2013 against Buffalo, 1987 against Miami, 1981 against the Baltimore Colts and in 1974 against Miami.

The 2021 season will mark the first time in team history that the Patriots will finish the regular season with two games in January. Also, it is the first time the Patriots will close out the year on the road since the 2016 season when they finished the regular season on the road against Miami. The Patriots will also end a seven-year streak of closing the regular season with consecutive division opponents.

Complete New England Patriots 2021 schedule:

DATE OPPONENT TIME AFFILIATE NETWORK
Sunday, Sept. 12 Miami Dolphins 4:25 p.m. WBZ CBS
Sunday, Sept. 19 at New York Jets 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS
Sunday, Sept. 26 New Orleans Saints 1:00 p.m. WFXT FOX
Sunday, Oct. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers + 8:20 p.m. NBC/Bos NBC
Sunday, Oct. 10 at Houston Texans 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Oct. 17 Dallas Cowboys 4:25 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Oct. 24 New York Jets 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Oct. 31 at Los Angeles Chargers 4:05 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Nov. 7 at Carolina Panthers 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Nov. 14 Cleveland Browns 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Thursday, Nov. 18 at Atlanta Falcons + 8:20 p.m. WFXT FOX /NFL/ AMAZON
Sunday, Nov. 28 Tennessee Titans 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Monday, Dec. 6 at Buffalo Bills + 8:15 p.m. WCVB ESPN
TBD (Dec. 18 or Dec. 19) at Indianapolis Colts TBD TBD TBD
Sunday, Dec. 26 Buffalo Bills 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Jan. 2 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*
Sunday, Jan. 9 at Miami Dolphins 1:00 p.m. WBZ CBS*

*-Game time and network subject to possible flexible scheduling adjustment.

Patriots Open at Home vs Dolphins

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FOXBORO – The NFL trickled out just a few of their 2021 schedule and among the items released were each team’s season opening games. Just as they did a year ago, the New England Patriots will play the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro for each team’s first game of the 2021 NFL regular season.

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Kickoff for the Patriots vs Miami game at Gillette Stadium is scheduled or 4:25 EDT on Sunday, September 12 and will be broadcast by CBS. The game marks the fourth time in the past 10 years that the division rival Patriots-Dolphins will meet in the regular season opener.  A year ago, New England opened their season with a 21-11 victory over Miami at Gillette Stadium.

Lots of “QB Talk” on Day 2 of NFL Draft

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FOXBORO – Ask anyone in Foxboro, Boston, Lexington or Concord and there is no quarterback controversy in New England. At least not yet.

New England Patriots head coach and head of football operations, Bill Belichick, clearly stated that veteran Cam Newton remains his starter — despite the Patriots drafting Alabama’s highly touted QB Mac Jones in the first round on Thursday night, not to mention that Tom Brady’s heir apparent of a year ago, Jarrett Stidham, is still on New England’s QB depth chart.

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The QB talk came as Day 2 of the annual NFL Draft marched on and several other teams drafted to find their future QBs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, the Minnesota Vikings grabbed Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and the Houston Texans selected Stanford quarterback Davis Mills on Friday night.

Teams made their second- and third-round picks, and they will return to action Saturday to conclude the draft with Rounds 4-7. Trask was taken with the last pick of the second round at No. 64 overall. The former Gators signal-caller will back up Tom Brady after throwing for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2020.

The Vikings grabbed Mond soon after with the second pick of the third round, No. 66 overall. Mond is coming off a stellar senior season in which he passed for 2,282 yards, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions in 10 games with the Aggies.

Mills heads to Houston after serving as a Stanford team captain in 2020. He made only 11 starts in college but impressed scouts with his mobility and prowess at reading the field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell on Friday to begin a busy night of drafting. Campbell, 21, started 24 games in three seasons with Georgia.

Campbell was a five-star recruit out of high school in Florida and ranked as the second-best cornerback in his class behind only Patrick Surtain II, who was chosen in the first round by the Denver Broncos (No. 9 overall) on Thursday night.

The New York Jets followed by taking Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore with the second pick of the second round at No. 34 overall. The Broncos took North Carolina running back Javonte Williams at No. 35, the Miami Dolphins selected Oregon safety Jevon Holland at No. 36, and the Eagles picked Alabama center Landon Dickerson at No. 37.

The New England Patriots maintained their strong pipeline with Alabama when they selected Crimson Tide defensive tackle Christian Barmore with the sixth pick of the second round. Barmore will reunite with college teammate Mac Jones, whom New England drafted at No. 15 overall in the first round.

Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. had to wait until the middle of the second round until the Los Angeles Chargers selected him at No. 47 overall. Samuel led the Seminoles with three interceptions and served as a team captain in 2020 before opting out after eight games.

Notre Dame pass rusher Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah slid to No. 52, where the Cleveland Browns selected him. Many draft analysts had projected the former Fighting Irish star to be a first-round pick after a season in which he was a first-team All-American, captured Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and won the Butkus Award given to the nation’s top lineup.

 

Patriots Select Mac Jones, Quarterback

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FOXBORO/CLEVELAND – In all the years, in all the NFL Drafts, Bill Belichick, the mastermind behind the New England Patriots entire football operation, never, ever, ever picked a quarterback with his first round draft choice. That streak ended last night in Cleveland when Belichick and the Patriots selected Alabama’s Mac Jones with their No. 1 choice, the 15th overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft.

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With Cam Newton as his mentor, Jones is likely to play the early part of the 2021 season as back-up and apprentice to Newton, but with the way Belichick values his top pick, the keys to the New England Patriots’ offense will someday – soon – be turned over to Jones in the same manner in which All-Pro, All-Time great Tom Brady once accepted the QB job from Drew Bledsoe.

“This is what I wanted all along,” Jones said on stage at the “in-person” NFL Draft raft in Cleveland. “And I can’t wait to play for the greatest franchise in NFL history.”

Jones, a two-time national title winner with the Crimson Tide, was the fifth quarterback chosen in the top 15 on Thursday. He becomes the 11th player drafted by Belichick who played for Nick Saban in college.

In 13 games last season, Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Some argue he was a product of a system that thrived with a rugged offensive line and elite playmakers everywhere. He was a backup in 2017 when Alabama also won the title.

He already seems to have a grasp of the “Patriot Way” of playing football.

Saban said last month teams began showing greater interest in Jones late last season and after the national championship game. In conversations with teams, Saban reminds them where Jones started — on the scout team and then behind a slew of talented players, including projected 2021 NFL starters Jalen Hurts (Eagles) and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins). And, perhaps most importantly, of Jones’ perseverance to keep working toward getting on the field instead of leaving as a transfer.

“I think that the team that picks me is going to realize they don’t have to worry about me being the first guy in and the last guy out,” Jones said last month. “I’m going to sit and watch as much film as I can and do all the right things. And then obviously the tape speaks for itself.”

Jones joins former Auburn quarterbacks Cam Newton and Jarret Stidham with the Patriots. And he could have a chance to see Tagovailoa head to head twice a year in the AFC East. Newton re-signed with the Patriots after a disappointing 2020 with the team. He went 7-8 in 15 starts and turns 32 next month. Newton completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushed for 592 yards and 12 scores.

Jones’ Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the 2021 NFL Draft.

The national champion Crimson Tide watched six first-round picks placed up on the draft board on the opening night of the annual college draft. Quarterback Mac Jones, Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, (Philadelphia Eagles), explosive fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) and running back Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers) lead the wave of Nick Saban‘s former charges expected to be selected among the top 32 picks.

Cornerback Patrick Surtain II, (Denver Broncos), offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood (Las Vegas Raiders) were all first-rounders.

Alabama’s Saban has had 96 players drafted since he became coach at the school, including four first-round picks in 2020. Overall, Saban has produced 35 first-round picks between his time at LSU and Alabama. Tagovailoa was the fifth overall pick in 2020 — one of four Alabama players in the top 15 — and sat early as a Miami rookie while recovering from hip surgery.