{"id":1569686,"date":"2023-05-30T19:14:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T23:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1569686"},"modified":"2023-05-30T19:14:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T23:14:36","slug":"old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"An Old Friend Just Opened the Door for Bill Belichick to Make Things Right With Mac Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Instead of setting his second-year signal-caller up for success, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/bill-belichick\/\">Bill Belichick<\/a> did the exact opposite by putting one of his closest confidants in charge of calling plays for the 2022 season. To no one\u2019s surprise, the Matt Patricia-as-OC experiment backfired badly on multiple levels. Not only did the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/new-england-patriots\/\">New England Patriots<\/a> miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, but promising quarterback Mac Jones regressed mightily after looking like a worthy successor to Tom Brady as a rookie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the backlash from banking on a familiar face to fill a vital role ultimately led to yet <em>another<\/em> known commodity coming back to Foxborough, new offensive coordinator Bill O\u2019Brien isn\u2019t the only former ally Belichick should be thanking this offseason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, one of his proteges just paved the way for the Patriots to make a substantial upgrade to their anemic offense. More importantly, Belichick officially has an opportunity to make up for his past mistakes and prove to Jones that he\u2019s truly committed to building a championship team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-monti-ossenfort-just-pulled-a-page-out-of-his-old-boss-s-playbook\">Monti Ossenfort just pulled a page out of his old boss\u2019s playbook<\/h2>\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\">Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/c0f9UaabYA\">pic.twitter.com\/c0f9UaabYA<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamSchefter\/status\/1662142199096655883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 26, 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 certainly hasn\u2019t taken long for Monti Ossenfort to make his mark in Arizona. After ascending from personnel assistant to director of college scouting with the Patriots and serving as director of player personnel from 2020-22 with the Tennessee Titans, the 45-year-old was named general manager of the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/arizona-cardinals\/\">Arizona Cardinals<\/a> back in January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly, the longtime NFL front-office executive learned a thing or two from his mentor in New England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to executing a number of trades in the 2023 NFL Draft to accumulate more capital, Ossenfort pulled a page right out of Bill Belichick\u2019s playbook over the weekend by cutting ties with a big-name star. Following months of trade rumors, the Cardinals released <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/deandre-hopkins-lists-5-nfl-qbs-rather-play-with-kyler-murray\/\">DeAndre Hopkins<\/a> on May 26, bringing a swift end to his three-year stint in the desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Considered one of the best receivers of his generation, the five-time Pro Bowler carried a $19.45 million base salary for 2023 that clearly didn\u2019t fit in the Cardinals\u2019 financial plans. However, the fact Ossenfort outright released the team\u2019s most accomplished player rather than getting even a late-round pick in return definitely raised eyebrows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately for Kyler Murray, Hopkins\u2019 release means he can\u2019t count on having a true WR1 when he\u2019s healthy enough to play again. On the other hand, having a three-time first-team All-Pro hit the free-agent market right before training camp begins means Belichick can finally do right by his own quarterback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-cardinals-cost-cutting-move-can-help-bill-belichick-atone-for-2022\">The Cardinals\u2019 cost-cutting move can help Bill Belichick atone for 2022<\/h2>\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\">Free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins posted a video of him watching a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Patriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Patriots<\/a> Super Bowl on IG<br><br>\ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rKcO7JrFw5\">pic.twitter.com\/rKcO7JrFw5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MLFootball (@_MLFootball) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_MLFootball\/status\/1663313408425443328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 29, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One team\u2019s trash is another team\u2019s treasure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While money is the primary reason Hopkins is no longer a Cardinal, it\u2019s fair to point out that he\u2019s missed time in recent years due to injuries and a PED suspension. Still, even an aging version of the sure-handed wideout would represent a massive upgrade for just about every <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/nfl\/\">NFL<\/a> team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when it comes to the Patriots\u2019 current crop of pass catchers, there\u2019s no doubt they desperately need someone like Hopkins. As much as New England may be high on speedy second-year pro Tyquan Thornton, there isn\u2019t a coach with a worse track record of drafting and developing receivers than Belichick. Meanwhile, it\u2019s difficult to get overly excited about a group that includes big-bodied (and injury-prone) veteran DeVante Parker, the talented but inconsistent Kendrick Bourne, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, someone who\u2019s best utilized as a No. 3 WR.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Hopkins free to sign with any team, Belichick shouldn\u2019t hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal. Unlike the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots have the cap space to accommodate his contract. Plus, they can create more room by signing homegrown players like Michael Onwenu and Kyle Dugger to extensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words: Money <em>shouldn\u2019t<\/em> be an issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And even if Hopkins has a high asking price in mind, this isn\u2019t the time for Belichick to be in bargain-hunting mode. With his own job potentially on the line, he needs to do everything possible to put the Patriots in a position to at least make the playoffs in 2023. Getting Jones a bonafide weapon like Hopkins would breathe new life into an offense that looks underwhelming on paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given how poorly last year went, Belichick should seek to undo the damage <em>he<\/em> caused by being more aggressive in building an offense that can compete in today\u2019s NFL. And he should be committed to smoothing things with Jones so the team can evaluate the signal-caller\u2019s future fairly. Adding Hopkins on a one-year deal would make the Patriots a threat in the AFC in 2023, give Jones confidence, and maybe even buy Belichick more time in his pursuit of Don Shula\u2019s all-time wins record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-would-the-patriots-be-willing-to-outbid-other-teams-for-deandre-hopkins\">Would the Patriots be willing to outbid other teams for DeAndre Hopkins?<\/h2>\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\">It sounds like Patriots may be in mix for DeAndre Hopkins <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ForeverNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ForeverNE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fbxL51TxLl\">https:\/\/t.co\/fbxL51TxLl<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CeawSHtznG\">pic.twitter.com\/CeawSHtznG<\/a><\/p>&mdash; WEEI (@WEEI) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WEEI\/status\/1663676045453840385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 30, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Money talks &#8212; and it will be fascinating to see if Belichick steps up to ensure Hopkins doesn\u2019t join another interested suitor. The Patriots typically don\u2019t enter into bidding wars, especially with big-name veterans on the wrong side of 30. In many ways, ponying up $15 million or more for a single season of Hopkins\u2019 services would go against everything Belichick has stood for two decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then again, desperate times call for desperate measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Patriots look bound to finish fourth in an AFC East division that now includes Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, and Tua Tagovailoa. Considering how outspoken Robert Kraft has been the past few years about his desire to win playoff games again, does Belichick view 2023 as his last chance to prove he deserves to stick around? If so, that could cause him to go against the grain and do something out of the norm, like signing Hopkins to an expensive one-year deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, it\u2019s not like the Patriots should be the only team looking to convince the star receiver to sign on the dotted line. The Chiefs and the Bills could use help at the position. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions and New York Giants stand out as potential landing spots. Both franchises are on the cusp of contending and could use a proven WR1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if Bill Belichick wants to do right by Mac Jones, he\u2019s going to have to pay up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to his old friend, though, at least he won\u2019t have to surrender a draft pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bill Belichick needs to take advantage of his former employee releasing DeAndre Hopkins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":1569687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4970,4992,4904,5008,5100],"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>Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bill Belichick&#039;s former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.\" \/>\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\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bill Belichick&#039;s former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-30T23:14:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-30T23:14:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-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\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/\",\"name\":\"Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-30T23:14:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-30T23:14:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9\"},\"description\":\"Bill Belichick's former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg\",\"width\":1250,\"height\":833,\"caption\":\"New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones look on during pregame ahead of a matchup with the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 11, 2022 | Megan Briggs\/Getty Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An Old Friend Just Opened the Door for Bill Belichick to Make Things Right With Mac Jones\"}]},{\"@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":"Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7","description":"Bill Belichick's former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.","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\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7","og_description":"Bill Belichick's former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.","og_url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/","og_site_name":"Sports7","article_published_time":"2023-05-30T23:14:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-30T23:14:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1250,"height":833,"url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-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\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/","name":"Bill Belichick and the Patriots Need to Make a Real Run at DeAndre Hopkins - Sports7","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-30T23:14:34+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-30T23:14:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/a9bbf291a426e598ae5c6799fc3b35d9"},"description":"Bill Belichick's former employee, Monti Ossenfort, just released DeAndre Hopkins and the New England Patriots need to take advantage.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Bill-Belichick-Mac-Jones-New-England-Patriots.jpg","width":1250,"height":833,"caption":"New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones look on during pregame ahead of a matchup with the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 11, 2022 | Megan Briggs\/Getty Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/old-friend-opened-door-bill-belichick-make-things-right-mac-jones\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An Old Friend Just Opened the Door for Bill Belichick to Make Things Right With Mac Jones"}]},{"@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\/1569686"}],"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=1569686"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1569686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1569695,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1569686\/revisions\/1569695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1569687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1569686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1569686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1569686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}