#kyle hightower

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Patriots offense thriving after emphasis of rushing game

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —Jan 14, 2019—  This much is clear about the Patriots’ latest run to the AFC championship game: it’s come with a lot of introspection and reinvention on offense.

Gone are the days in which New England can just bank on Tom Brady piling up four-touchdown games on a weekly basis or can simply toss the ball in Rob Gronkowski’s orbit in crunch time and expect great things to happen.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass | Patriots have issues to address after 2 straight losses

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots were able to downplay the significance of their defeat at Miami in Week 14 mostly because of the crazy final play it took for the Dolphins to grab the victory in the closing seconds.

But after showing multiple shortcomings in its 17-10 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday , New Englandsuddenly looks nothing like the dominant force it’s been at this point of the season in…

BOSTON | Eovaldi agrees to $68 million, 4-year deal with Red Sox

BOSTON  — Nathan Eovaldi’s marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.

Boston rewarded him with a $68 million, four-year contract.

“We’re very happy to have Nathan back with us,” Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. “He did a tremendous job for us last…

BOSTON | Cora: MVP favorite Betts could play 2B in World Series

BOSTON  — With a championship at stake, MVP favorite Mookie Betts is ready to do anything manager Alex Cora asks. Even if that means dusting off his infielder’s mitt.

Cora said Saturday he may use the Gold Glove Award-winning right fielder at second base during the World Series, a move that would make space for slugger J.D. Martinez when the series shifts to an NL park.

Martinez has two homers…

BOSTON | Celtics beat 76ers 105-87 as Hayward, Irving make returns

BOSTON— The Celtics will need time to figure out how to get the most out of their loaded roster this season.

It didn’t stop them from picking up their first victory on a night they celebrated the official return of their two biggest stars.

Jayson Tatum had 23 points and nine rebounds, and the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-87 on Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams.

Boston…

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Patriots stop skid, hand Dolphins 1st loss in 38-7 rout

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots’ losing streak is over. And so is the Dolphins’ undefeated start.

Tom Brady threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns and the New England Patriots handed Miami its first loss of the season in a 38-7 rout on Sunday.

It denied the Dolphins (3-1) their first 4-0 start since Hall of Fame coach Don Shula’s last season in 1995.

“I thought we got what we needed from our…

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Patriots' Brady says his goal is still to play 5 more years

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady is making one thing clear as he prepares for his 19th NFL season: He doesn’t plan to stop playing football anytime soon.

In the epilogue of his seven-part Facebook Watch documentary series “Tom Vs. Time” released on Wednesday, the 41-year-old Patriots quarterback reiterated his desire to play at least five more years.

“I’d love to play 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,” Brady said. “It’ll be a challenge for me. I don’t think it’s going to be easy. It’s going to be hard to do. I think it’s going to be very hard to do. But I think I can do it. And once you stop, you’re done. And I think I’m not ready to say that I’m done, because I don’t feel like I am. I still feel like there’s things to accomplish. … It was really hard to get to this point. Why not finish it off?”

New England opens its 2018 season Sunday against Houston. Despite winning five Super Bowls and becoming the oldest player ever to win MVP honors last season at age 40, Brady said he thinks there’s another level he can reach.

“I think the last eight years of my career have been better than my first 10, so I should just prolong it, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Since its debut in January, “Tom Vs. Time” has provided viewers a glimpse into several behind-the-scenes moments with Brady on the field since he turned 40, as well as rare looks at his private life off the field.

This final episode also explored what Brady said is a new approach to certain aspects of NFL life, which includes ignoring the opinions people have of him.

At one point he seemed to address the criticism he’s received in recent seasons about his relationship with his personal health coach and business partner Alex Guerrero. During training camp, Brady called it “ridiculous” to suggest the suspension of Patriots receiver Julian Edelman is tied to his work with Guerrero. Those same questions about Guerrero prompted Brady to abruptly end his first media availability of camp.

“(The media wants) to talk about a lot of drama,” Brady said during the epilogue. “I’m sure a lot of teams have things like that. But ours is just to the tenth degree. I’m learning to do deal with it better.” Brady also hinted at the rumored discord between him and coach Bill Belichick, which both have previously downplayed.

“I think anytime you’re together with people for a long period of time, relationships ebb and flow,” Brady said. “I think people are just looking for something to write and talk about. I just don’t give a (expletive) anymore that much about anything. … Nothing’s that big a deal to me anymore. Or maybe I’m just caring more about things that really matter — like my family, like people’s health, like life and death.

“But to worry about a lot of (expletive) of what people may say or think or feel — I really don’t care anymore.”

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Patriots' Gronkowski beaming after signing restructured deal

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.  — For the second straight year, the Patriots have tried to show Rob Gronkowski how much he’s valued.

The All-Pro tight end says he’s feeling the love and is looking forward to showing them his appreciation on the field.

Last week the Patriots added $4.3 million in incentives to Gronkowski’s contract over the next two seasons. The deal includes $1 million in per game bonuses and $3.3 million in incentives for catches, playing time and touchdowns.

It is the second consecutive season the team has added sweeteners to the 29-year-old’s contract. Last season the incentives New England gave him pushed his compensation to more than $10 million.

With this latest restructured deal he has the potential to make $12.3 million this season and $13.3 million next year. It could again place him among the league’s highest-paid tight ends as he prepares to open his ninth NFL season Sunday against Houston.

“It’s definitely a relief to have that all out of the way,” Gronkowski said Tuesday. “That was last week. That’s in the past, which is good. I’m just gonna put my main focus on the Houston Texans.”

This new pact comes after Gronk made a silent statement by skipping the voluntary portion of offseason workouts.

When he returned for the mandatory minicamp he wasn’t bashful in saying he’d like to see his contract redone again on the heels of other NFL players getting offseason raises.

Gronk insisted that there was never any acrimony between himself and the Patriots this summer over his contract.

“It didn’t weigh on me at all,” he said. “I mean, everything is always ‘in the works.’ Nothing is just gonna happen in a day when it’s something like that. It’s in the past. … It’s go-time now.”

Gronkowski put himself in position to renegotiate after leading the team in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,084) and receiving touchdowns (eight) last season.

Though he never contemplated holding out, Gronkowski said he isn’t envious of some of the heftier contracts that some of his NFL peers have gotten recently.

“I’m super-satisfied with my situation,” he said. “If I wasn’t, then I would try to pull a move like they (did). It just works out. You get rewarded for holding out. But I’m not frustrated at all. … I’m ready to play.”

He expected to again be one of 41-year-old quarterback Tom Brady’s top targets in the passing game. His importance to the offense will only be amplified with receiver Julian Edelman suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.

Brady is also adjusting to some new receivers, following the trade of Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams and Danny Amendola signing a free agent deal with Miami.

With Edelman out, Chris Hogan — entering his third season in New England — is the most-tenured receiver Brady will have at the start of the season.

Special teams captain Matt Slater is listed as a receiver. But he has caught just one pass in 10 seasons with the Patriots.

Still, Gronk said he doesn’t feel any extra pressure to produce more than he normally does.

“There’s always pressure around this building, no matter what the situation is,” he said. “When you lose a guy, or for example when they lose me out there on the field, the goal is just to keep on maintaining what you’re doing.

“No matter who is in there, who’s not, I just gotta keep focusing on my job and keep helping the team the best way I can.”

NOTES: Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey made headlines last week when he told “ESPN The Magazine” that “I don’t think Gronk is as great as people think he is.” Asked if he had any reaction, Gronkowski said he’d defer responding for now. “We got the Houston Texans this week,” he said. “That will just be another time and place to talk about (that). But, as of right now, I’m just focused on the Texans.” New England visits Jacksonville on Sept. 16.