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23
August
2018

That’s the most important part

鈥?Bill Belichick made it a priority to get his team prepared for frigid weather leading up to the Patriots’ regular-season finale against the New York Jets.With home-field advantage throughout the playoffs following a 26-6 victory on Sunday Ronald Jones II Buccaneers Jersey , the AFC’s road to the Super Bowl will again run through New England.Dion Lewis ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass, helping the Patriots wrap up the top seed. The win clinched the seventh 13-win season for the Patriots (13-3), which is second in NFL history to San Francisco’s nine seasons.It was also Belichick’s 250th career regular-season win, moving him into a tie with Tom Landry for third all-time among head coaches.New England has defeated New York in four straight meetings, and the Patriots haven’t lost to the Jets (5-11) at home during the regular season with Tom Brady starting since 2006. Brady’s 13th win as a starter this season tied him with Brett Favre for the most by a starting quarterback at age 40 or older.“Our biggest games are ahead of us,” Brady said. “We’re 13-3, that’s the best in the AFC, that’s what we’re playing for, so that’s pretty good.”Lewis finished with a season-high 26 carries for 93 yards . Brandin Cooks had 11 catches for 79 yards and touchdown for New England, which will have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was held without a catch for the first time this season.James Harrison, signed by New England last Tuesday after being cut by Pittsburgh, had two sacks 鈥?on consecutive plays to end the game 鈥?and finished with five total tackles and a forced fumble.“I always wonder why I’m not playing,” Harrison said when asked if this was statement game for him. “Like they say, it’s never easy and it’s never late. It’s just timing.”Temperatures dipped into the low-teens at kickoff, but it didn’t stop the Patriots from being aggressive at the outset.They won the coin toss and elected to receive, going away from their typical decision to defer until the second half. Brady and the offense went to work, quickly moving 75 yards in just 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard TD run by Lewis. The drive included a fourth-down pass conversion http://www.eaglesauthorizedshops.com/authentic-richard-rodgers-jersey , one of three hookups between Brady and Danny Amendola in the series.Penalties on the Jets’ defense aided New England’s final two scores of the first half. Safety Marcus Maye was called for a 39-yard pass interference penalty early in the second quarter that set up a 5-yard TD pass from Brady to Cooks that made it 14-3.Then just before halftime, New York cornerback Juston Burris was flagged for defensive holding on a Patriots third-down pass attempt. New England got into the end zone three plays later via another 5-yard TD pass, this time from Brady to Lewis.The Jets’ offense was anemic throughout with Bryce Petty playing the entire game at quarterback after it appeared Christian Hackenberg might see his first regular-season action at some point in the finale. New York was 0 for 12 on third down and 0 for 1 in its lone trip into the red zone.“We stuck together,” linebacker David Bass said. “We went through adversity, ups and downs, but more downs than we wanted. We stuck together through it all.”Patriots safety Devin McCourty said getting the top seed shows the toughness of a team that lost key players such as Julian Edelman and Dont’a Hightower to injury.“Those things we went through, when you wrap up the 2017 season, molded us, shaped us,” McCourty said. “You look back on all that now, we needed all that.”INJURIESJets: CB Morris Claiborne left briefly in the first quarter, but was able to return. … Maye limped off the field in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. … WR Robby Anderson left after a fourth-quarter hit from Stephon Gilmore to have his head evaluated. Coach Todd Bowles said after the game that Anderson suffered a concussion.Patriots: LB Elandon Roberts was shaken up on a play in the third quarter.ECLIPSING 1,000The Patriots have three players with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in the same season for the first time in franchise history: Lewis, Gronkowski, Cooks.FRIGID TEMPSIt was 13 degrees at kickoff, and the Patriots wanted to make sure their visitors knew it.A thermometer was hung in the Jets’ tunnel on Sunday. New York players filed past on their way to and from the field before the game .It was the coldest regular-season home game in Patriots history. They had a playoff games that was colder 鈥?a divisional round game against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 10 Cardinals Game Jerseys , 2004, when it was 4 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like minus 10.Jets safety Jamal Adams went out pregame without a shirt to test the weather. He soon got a text from his mother.“I put my shirt on, real quick,” he said.BELOW 50Brady’s 48.6 completion percentage (18 of 37) marked only the second time this season he completed less than 50 percent of his passes. He completed 44.4 percent (16 of 36) in the Patriots’ season-opening loss to Kansas City. Before that, it hadn’t happened since Oct. 20, 2013, in a 30-27 road loss to the Jets.UP NEXTPatriots: Have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Sam Shields thought hard about quitting football during his darkest, saddest days at home in South Florida over the past two years.

As a former undrafted free agent who became a Pro Bowl cornerback and a Super Bowl champion with Green Bay, Shields knows all about overcoming tremendous odds. Four recorded concussions and the ensuing months of agonizing headaches were a daunting obstacle to be surmounted – and moreover, he wasn’t even sure if he should.

With the support of his friends and family, Shields eventually decided he couldn’t just stop. He had to play again, and he’s taking a shot with the Los Angeles Rams.

”I have a tough mind,” Shields said after stepping off the practice field at UC Irvine in full pads. ”I’m not going to lie. I guess that’s just a gift that I have, and that’s an important thing on your body. I’ve been through a lot. I took time off, and now I’m here and I’m doing a hell of a job.”

Shields wore pads Sunday for the first time since Sept. 11, 2016, when he suffered the final concussion that kept him out of football for nearly two full seasons. He is already drawing attention during the first few days of camp with the defending NFC West champion Rams Fred Warner Color Rush Jersey , who added him to a well-stocked defensive secondary last March while allowing him to recapture his career.

Shields is 30 years old now, but his body is completely healthy, and he says his mind is clear. In fact, his biggest physical obstacles these days are the braces on the back of his teeth, slightly altering his speech.

He realizes the odds he’s facing, and he isn’t naive about the potentially catastrophic damage from another major head injury. Shields still wants to be part of a team again after seven seasons with the Packers, who cut him in February 2017.

”I had a year and a half to think about it, to be with my family,” Shields said. ”So I definitely had enough time to think about it, and I think I made the right choice.”

Shields’ teammates and coaches with the Rams are already impressed by the former University of Miami receiver who transitioned to defense as a senior and then carved out an NFL career on the strength of his speed and will.

The Rams also know how perilous Shields’ health could be.

”He’s doing a great job,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. ”I think people forget what a productive player Sam has been in this league. Elite man-to-man skills, unbelievable lateral agility and just short-space quickness. He’s a great guy. … Really happy for him. We’re hoping he’s able to stay healthy.”

Shields had become an elite defensive back during his career in Green Bay. He had 18 interceptions with the Packers across 80 games, including 62 starts.

He made two tackles while the Packers won the Super Bowl in February 2011 to cap his rookie season. Several months after earning a $39 million contract from the Packers in 2014, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

But he missed four games in 2015 due to concussions, and he suffered that fourth concussion in the 2016 season opener against Jacksonville. He hasn’t played football since.

Shields was beset by headaches in the months after his most recent concussion, enduring blinding pain and light sensitivity. He traveled around the country for help, eventually spending six months getting treatment at UCLA.

When the headaches dissipated Keke Coutee Jersey Texans , his desire to play came flooding back.

”I felt better just out of nowhere,” he said. ”It was crazy, and I started, just like, `Let’s go work out.’ And I worked out. Felt fine that morning. I kept going out there, and that’s when I knew I was finally all right.”

Shields said his biggest current challenge is getting his body back in football shape, and getting rid of ”soreness in different spots that I haven’t moved in a while.” The Rams haven’t done any major hitting yet, but their first preseason game is Aug. 9 at Baltimore.

Ever since he joined the Rams, Shields has repeatedly said he isn’t fooling himself about what could happen. He wants another shot anyway.

”It’s a blessing,” Shields said. ”Two, almost 2 1/2 years out, I mean, it’s hard mentally for anybody to be able to come back, put these pads on. But I’m just happy to be here with my brothers. That’s the most important part.”



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