With the trade deadline now in the books, the New England Patriots made a few changes to the roster.
Head Coach Bill Belichick shocked the city of Boston with a stunning trade of backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in return for a 2018 second-round pick. The pick in question is expected to fall in the range of 33-34. A fair return with the young signal caller on the last year of his contract.
Garoppolo, said however that he’s happy with his current situation and seems excited to get going.
“[I’m] thrilled to be here,” Garoppolo said, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “I mean, just got here this morning. I couldn’t be happier.”
With no quarterbacks to succeed Tom Brady, the Patriots announced a three-year contract with Brian Hoyer who will return to Foxborough. Hoyer who suited up for the Patriots between 2009-11, was cut by the 49ers after they acquired Garoppolo. Hoyer’s past experience with the Patriots’ system made him the obvious choice to fill the void created by the Garoppolo trade.
Hoyer In six starts, had 1,245 passing yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also completed 58 percent of his passes. Hoyer has 48 touchdowns to 30 interceptions in his 55 career appearances.
Gostkowski keeps missing kicks
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski didn’t want to place the blame on the weather for two missed field goals against the Los Angeles Chargers. Gostkowski made four field goals for the 12th time in his career but also missed the mark twice for the third time.
“It wasn’t so tough where I shouldn’t have made the kicks,” Gostkowski said after the game. “I usually take pride in making kicks and winning games. I should have done a better job today. It wasn’t terribly bad. I’ve got to be able to deal with it a little better”
Its worth noting that Gostkowski has made 87 percent of his field goals so far this season which is better than the 84.4 percent from last year
The mountain of injuries is getting bigger
Recent news indicate Dont’a Hightower will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle.
In addition, Chris Hogan injured his shoulder against the Chargers and was seen with a sling. Hogan will be re-evaluated after the bye, which suggests he may not miss any games. The Patriots won’t be releasing an injury report until a week from Wednesday so it should be some time before any additional info on Hogan’s status will be released.
Patriots remain atop the AFC East
The Patriots enter their bye week with a 6-2 record, coming off a 21-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. they remain atop of the AFC East ahead of the Buffalo Bills.
