| CSNNE.com

[http://www.csnne.com] Celtics Patriots Red Sox Bruins Revolution Golf Video Podcast Staff Shop Alerts Contests MORE Live Extra TV Listings Channel Finder Rotoworld Golf Channel Comcast SportsNet Search Latest Video 1:59 Snap Judgements: Jackie Bradley Jr and Dustin Pedroia 1:42 Should Jackie Bradley Jr. be moved up in the order? 2:39 Felger to Amendola: ‘What are you nuts?!’ 1:21 SportsNet Central Update: Sox look ago stay hot against A's 3:08 Massarotti: I give Amendola credit for taking pay cut 1:21 SportsNet Central Update: C's building new practice facility 3:02 unFiltered 223: Am I allowed to eat fruit, or not? 1:01 NBA Draft History: The 6th Pick Tom Brady on Stephen Curry: 'Such a dominant player' Tom Brady on Stephen Curry: 'Such a dominant player' By Tom E. Curran May 10, 2016 7:45 PM Until Tom Brady, no player had ever been unanimously voted NFL MVP. That happened in 2010 and hasn’t been repeated since. Until Steph Curry, no player had ever been unanimously voted NBA MVP. That happened Tuesday, the perfect chaser to Curry’s Monday night masterpiece against the Blazers. Brady didn’t stay up for the game – which ended at 1:40 a.m. EST – but he saw the highlights of what his Under Armour business partner did for Brady’s hometown Warriors. Curry, in his first game back after a knee injury sidelined him on April 26, scored 17 of his 40 points in overtime. Curry and Brady both have equity stakes in the performance apparel firm Under Armour. “He is such a dominant player and so much fun to watch,” Brady said in an email Tuesday afternoon. “I grew up loving the Warriors and can’t believe they are achieving the type of success now that they never did in the past. Steph is a huge part of that and I love how Jerry West (a member of the Warriors executive board since 2011) helped build the team. I am a big fan of his also.” Brady got his slice of UA in 2010 after his contract with Nike ran out . Curry also went from Nike to UA and the story of how that went down is fascinating . Between Brady, Curry, Jordan Spieth, Cam Newton and Bryce Harper, Under Armour’s stable is loaded at the top . There’s some commonality in Brady and Curry’s backstories. Neither was the bluest of blue chip recruits coming out of high school. Both were overlooked somewhat coming out of college. Neither was an immediate smash at the pro level. Now, both are at the top. And that’s good for business. “I know how hard Steph works and how great of a team player he is,” said Brady. “He must be really smart for choosing to sign with UA – nobody is more up and coming than them. Makes for a great team.” Tags: 2016 NBA Playoffs , Golden State Warriors , MLB , New England Patriots , NFL , Stephen Curry , Tom Brady On further review, did Amendola get hosed? On further review, did Amendola get hosed? By Tom E. Curran May 10, 2016 5:45 PM Last week, when I confirmed Danny Amendola’s contract restructure was a two-year, $7.35M deal, I described the new pact as a win-win for the Patriots and Amendola. Digesting the numbers that dropped on Tuesday it’s more of a WIN!-win . The Patriots got Amendola whittled down this year to a relative nub after he was slated to make $5M in salary and is now going to make $1.25M. It’s not going to be all that bad, though, if Amendola plays like he did in 2015. Last year, he took a salary haircut where he went from $4M to $1.25M. But with a signing bonus of $500K, a $750K incentive for catching over 62 passes (he caught 65) and $31,250 for each game active ($437,500), Amendola still made nearly $3M. Which, for a 65-catch wideout who averages 10 yards per reception and isn’t a real big red zone threat is a good wage. It’s a notch lower this season. He’s got the same salary ($1.25M) but the signing bonus is $100K (down $400K). He’ll still get a bonus for each game he’s active, but that’s been trimmed to $25K and is now capped at $250K. He can make another $500K in bonuses. So the best he can do is just about $2M. Next year, the Patriots will be back at it again with Amendola. His base salary in 2017 is due to be $6M. Not happening. So what was originally billed as a five-year, $28M deal back in 2013 when Amendola plopped into Wes Welker’s spot on the roster (amid much local wailing) will, by the end of this year, be a four-year deal that’s paid out about $17M. Relative to what Amendola’s salary placeholders were and what he’ll actually make, it seems like he’s getting hosed. Until you really reflect on what his role was in 2013 and 2014. In his first season with the team, Amendola started brilliantly in Buffalo and helped bring home that win. He also destroyed his groin muscle on both legs. He played 12 games, started six, had 54 catches and three more in the Patriots two playoff games. He was paid $8.375M for that. A big win for him. In 2014, he caught just 27 passes for 200 yards in the regular season before going off in the playoffs. And made $3.5M. Real generous given the overall numbers. So Amendola won by knockout in the first 10 seconds in 2013. He won by TKO in 2014. Maybe he took a split decision in 2015. This year, for the first time, the Patriots should get more than what they paid for. It’s not been Amendola’s fault. His frame and playing style make him susceptible to injury. Meanwhile, Julian Edelman’s blossoming into the league’s best slot trumped Amendola. But Edelman, after the 2012 season, garnered zero attention as an unrestricted free agent that year. He’s become what nobody expected. Amendola needn’t feel badly for cashing Robert Kraft’s checks in 2013 and 2014. And he shouldn’t feel taken advantage of now. What comes around goes around. Besides, it isn’t like Amendola was going to find anything comparable if he were a free agent. He is a Patriots-style player who has more value here than he would anywhere else. Offensive coordinators, quarterbacks and head coaches in virtually every other city would look at a 5-9, 185-pound, 30-year-old slot who gets hurt annually but plays like a rabid terrier and say, “What am I supposed to do with this?” The haircut Amendola took this year (and the one he’ll get next spring) may seem like a scalping. But big picture? He’s done just fine. Tags: Danny Amendola , New England Patriots McCourty checks in at No. 94 on PFF rankings McCourty checks in at No. 94 on PFF rankings By Tom E. Curran May 09, 2016 8:00 PM Devin McCourty is the first of seven Patriots to appear on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 101 Players of 2015 . The Patriots multi-faceted safety checked in at No. 94 – down significantly from his 2014 ranking of 33. PFF pores over every play and gives out grades each week. It is not a stacking of who the best players are in the NFL, but an objective list based on those grades. PFF’s Sam Monson writes: "This list is based solely on 2015 play. Nothing that happened in previous years or may happen in the future is accounted for. This isn’t about class or talent, it’s about performance throughout the 2015 NFL season. This list is created with an “all positions are created equal” mantra. So, you won’t see 32 quarterbacks heading the list—even though that is the game’s most valuable position. Instead, we take a look at how guys played relative to what is expected from their position." McCourty was eighth among safeties in coverage rankings according to PFF. McCourty’s responsibilities in the Patriots defense are myriad. He plays free safety when Patrick Chung’s on the field, plays more like a strong safety when Duron Harmon’s on the field and checks tight ends and receivers at times. His tackling, range and smarts are what make him one of the most highly-paid safeties in the NFL. There are a couple of other players who dropped a long way from their 2014 ranking. Drew Brees went from 37 to 78. Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis dropped from 38 to 100. PFF will have its next crop of 25 players on Tuesday. It’s a conversation starter. Tags: CSNNE Newswire , Devin McCourty , New England Patriots Load more Tom Brady on Stephen Curry: 'Such a dominant player' On further review, did Amendola get hosed? McCourty checks in at No. 94 on PFF rankings Ex-Patriot Easley still hasn't latched on anywhere Patriots first pick understands social-media landmines Curran: New deal's a win-win for Amendola and Patriots Curran: Shula will be remembered in New England as an angry old man Patriots contract dance is a daunting one New QB Brissett comes in with high praise from Parcells, Weis Patriots release a pair from end of roster McDaniels on Pats QBs: 'There's no [learning] curve for any of them' Patriots draft revealed plenty about how they view themselves 'Football makeup' central to Pats draft picks Patriots add pair with special-teams relevance in late rounds Taking stock of Patriots Day 3 trades and return on Chandler Jones Fourth-round pick Mitchell joins crowded WR group Kraft should stop explaining and just accept Patriots fans' ire Valentine will be plunked down in heart of Pats' defensive line Patriots hatch latest backup plan at QB Patriots address offensive-line depth with Joe Thuney FOLLOW US Facebook Twitter Google Plus Instagram ©2016 SportsChannel New England LLC A Division of NBC Universal Jobs Privacy Policy Term of Service Contact Us Advertise Live Extra FAQ Internships Press Releases TV Listings GET NEWSLETTERS & ALERTS SIGN UP