{"id":1545084,"date":"2023-01-07T12:13:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-07T17:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1545084"},"modified":"2023-01-07T12:13:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-07T17:13:22","slug":"why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Beating the Bills Would Be the Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/new-england-patriots\/\">New England Patriots<\/a> fans shouldn\u2019t want their beloved team to close out the season with a victory over the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/bills-playoffs-how-bills-can-clinch-number-1-seed-home-field-advantage-week-18\/\">Buffalo Bills<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At least, not rational ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In just about any other year, rooting for the franchise to <em>not<\/em> make the playoffs would be sacrilegious. After all, this is an organization that made a habit of winning division titles with ease over the course of two decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it\u2019s time to face reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/bill-belichick\/\">Bill Belichick<\/a> isn\u2019t the same coach who preached about doing what\u2019s best for the team while dedicating what seemed like every second of his existence to doing everything possible to win a Super Bowl title.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while Belichick the general manager has overseen some solid drafts over the last three years, that doesn\u2019t excuse some of the terrible personnel decisions he\u2019s made dating back to the latter years of the Tom Brady era.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1250\" height=\"833\" src=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg?w=925&#038;strip=all&#038;quality=89\" alt=\"Bill Belichick during a Bengals-Patriots matchup in December 2022\" class=\"wp-image-1545088\"\/><figcaption>Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 | Winslow Townson\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From selling low on Jimmy Garoppolo to foolishly using first-round picks on the underwhelming (to be kind) trio of Isaiah Wynn, Sony Michel, and N\u2019Keal Harry to overpaying for the likes of Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor during a record-setting free-agent spending spree, Belichick has undoubtedly made quite a few franchise-altering mistakes from a roster management standpoint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, it doesn\u2019t take a football expert to see the Patriots don\u2019t have the same level of detail and execution as they did when they employed a real offensive coordinator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words: Belichick\u2019s choices with his coaching staff have also played a significant role in New England\u2019s fall from the NFL mountaintop.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s get back to the Bills game.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bills vs. Patriots since Tom Brady left NE:<br><br>*5-1 (Patriots\u2019 lone win coming in 50 mph wind gusts)<br><br>*Total score 176-92 <br><br>*Average score 29-15<br><br>*Josh Allen: 15 TD, 1 INT, 114.2 passer rating<br><br>*Patriots QBs: 3 TDs, 4 INTs, 66.7 passer rating<\/p>&mdash; Ben Volin (@BenVolin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenVolin\/status\/1611380568985329671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 6, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say the Patriots hold Josh Allen in check (a tall task), score enough points on offense (perhaps an even taller one), and avoid the costly penalties and turnovers that have become the new norm in New England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A victory would send them to the playoffs for the second straight season &#8212; and likely end the exact same way it did a year ago when the Bills defeated the Patriots in the divisional round by the lopsided score of 47-17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does anyone really believe a team that runs a JV offense can compete with the likes of the Bills, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/chiefs-playoffs-how-chiefs-clinch-number-1-seed-home-field-advantage-week-18\/\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/bengals-playoffs-every-bengals-playoff-scenario-heading-into-week-18-showdown-ravens\/\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> this time around?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earning a postseason berth might be a noteworthy accomplishment for some franchises, but that\u2019s not the case in New England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, Robert Kraft made it clear, dating back to the spring of 2021, that he expected a playoff victory\u2013not just <em>making<\/em> it to the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">With a big Week 18, Mac Jones would become the first Patriots&#39; quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards since Tom Brady in 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GipyiIffXn\">pic.twitter.com\/GipyiIffXn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Jordan Loupe (@CantALoupe_FF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CantALoupe_FF\/status\/1611123484821708800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 5, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s obvious the Patriots need reinforcements across the board. Not only do they have to figure out whether Mac Jones is actually a franchise quarterback, but they might need to overhaul a skill group that simply doesn\u2019t scare NFL defenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As if that wasn\u2019t enough, there\u2019s no doubt New England needs to invest heavily at offensive tackle, a position that can be quite costly. Between Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn, the Patriots have two players who look primed to play elsewhere in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other side of the ball, the Patriots lack a true No. 1 corner, a hallmark of <em>all <\/em>of Belichick\u2019s Super Bowl-winning teams. Rookies Marcus Jones and Jack Jones have shown plenty of promise, but neither projects to be on the level of former Patriots Darrelle Revis, Aqib Talib, Stephon Gilmore, or J.C. Jackson.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, the linebacker position could still use more talent, speed, and playmaking ability. And outside of Matthew Judon and Josh Uche (who\u2019s poised to enter a contract year), the Patriots don\u2019t have any established pass rushers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, both the roster and the coaching staff have deficiencies that must be addressed. And it might take a serious shakeup to get the needle moving in the right direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Too sensible to be realistic for next year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Patriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Patriots<\/a> coaching staff?<br><br>Bill Belichick continues as head coach.<br><br>Bill O\u2019Brien returns as offensive coordinator.<br><br>Matt Patricia and Steve Belichick lead the defense (after Jerod Mayo leaves).<br><br>Joe Judge takes over special teams.<\/p>&mdash; Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamMKaufman\/status\/1609693070278393856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 1, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet if the Patriots pull off an upset against the Bills, what\u2019s stopping Belichick from telling Kraft that he did his job by getting the team into the postseason? What\u2019s stopping the second-winningest coach in <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/nfl\/\">NFL<\/a> history from refusing to take orders or guidance about football-related decisions if he manages to sneak into the playoffs despite all that\u2019s gone wrong in 2022?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Losing, however, would drop New England\u2019s final record to 8-9 and force ownership to confront the fact that a franchise that won at a consistent clip unlike any other now operates with lower standards and has paid the price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of being a genuine championship contender, the Patriots remain much closer to being pretenders despite having a legitimately good defense. Until Belichick gets a competent coordinator to run the offense, bolsters the offensive line, and finds some impact playmakers, his team will stay right where it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, it\u2019s time to rip the band-aid off and objectively look at the whole picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is Bill Belichick still the right guy to run the show? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2022-nfl-qb-grades-season-long-standings-2022-nfl-qb-stats\/\">Mac Jones<\/a> capable of being Tom Brady\u2019s successor?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is the defense good enough to compete against elite offenses? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those are all questions ownership will have to consider heading into the offseason. And no matter how the Bills game goes, Robert Kraft needs to have a serious conversation with his highest-paid employee about what the plan for 2023 looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if the 81-year-old owner doesn\u2019t like what he hears, he may have no choice but to find someone else to run his team. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Making the playoffs may not be what's best for the New England Patriots right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":1545088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4992,4904,5005],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that&#039;s clearly not championship-caliber?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that&#039;s clearly not championship-caliber?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-07T17:13:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-07T17:13:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"833\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephen Sheehan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@StephenPSheehan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephen Sheehan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/\",\"name\":\"Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-07T17:13:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-07T17:13:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9\"},\"description\":\"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that's clearly not championship-caliber?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"width\":1250,\"height\":833,\"caption\":\"Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 | Winslow Townson\/Getty Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Beating the Bills Would Be the Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/\",\"name\":\"Sports7\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/author\/stephen-sheehan\/\",\"name\":\"Stephen Sheehan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e9d72657160cd2ad16a37097c377a83?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e9d72657160cd2ad16a37097c377a83?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stephen Sheehan\"},\"description\":\"Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sports7 in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.\",\"sameAs\":[\"\",\"StephenPSheehan\",\"stephen-sheehan-6403764a\",\"\",\"\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Stephen Sheehan | Sports7 NFL Writer\",\"email\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7","description":"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that's clearly not championship-caliber?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7","og_description":"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that's clearly not championship-caliber?","og_url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/","og_site_name":"Sports7","article_published_time":"2023-01-07T17:13:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-07T17:13:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1250,"height":833,"url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stephen Sheehan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@StephenPSheehan","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephen Sheehan","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/","name":"Why Beating the Bills Would Be Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots - Sports7","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-07T17:13:20+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-07T17:13:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9"},"description":"Although a victory would send the Patriots to the playoffs, is that really the best thing for a team that's clearly not championship-caliber?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bill-Belichick-New-England-Patriots.jpg","width":1250,"height":833,"caption":"Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 | Winslow Townson\/Getty Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/why-beating-bills-would-be-worst-possible-outcome-patriots\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Beating the Bills Would Be the Worst Possible Outcome for the Patriots"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/","name":"Sports7","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/author\/stephen-sheehan\/","name":"Stephen Sheehan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e9d72657160cd2ad16a37097c377a83?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e9d72657160cd2ad16a37097c377a83?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stephen Sheehan"},"description":"Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sports7 in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.","sameAs":["","StephenPSheehan","stephen-sheehan-6403764a","",""],"jobTitle":"Stephen Sheehan | Sports7 NFL Writer","email":""}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/150"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1545084"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1545090,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545084\/revisions\/1545090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1545088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1545084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1545084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1545084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}