The New England Patriots won’t have much margin for error when they host the red-hot Houston Texans in Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round matchup. Mike Vrabel still won’t pursue perfection during the playoff bout.
Asked on Friday if the Patriots must be perfect to defeat the Texans, Vrabel explained why he considers that an unrealistic goal.
“No, we want to try to be as precise as possible,” Vrabel said. “We haven’t talked one time about being perfect since I’ve been here. We’re aiming for success, and not perfection. Nobody’s gonna be perfect. We’re gonna need to be precise.”
While the Patriots...
New England Patriots - NESN.com
Early in the Giants’ John Harbaugh courtship, a rumor suggested the high-profile HC free agent would not have an issue working with GM Joe Schoen. The Giants are planning to retain Schoen, but the embattled exec’s status may be a factor in Harbaugh’s deal not being done yet.
As of Friday afternoon, the deal is not done. The sides were working on contract language this morning, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds money is not believed to be an issue. Harbaugh is expected to receive a deal in the $20MM-per-year range, which will place him among the NFL’s highest-paid HCs....
Pro Football Rumors
Albert Breer reports that the Raiders interviewing Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak for their head-coaching job this Sunday.
Here’s the list of candidates for the Raiders job:
NFL Trade Rumors
Tom Brady reveals the story behind the New England Patriots' infamous 'Quick Kick' against the Denver Broncos in 2012.
FOX Sports Digital
On Friday, the New York Jets announced that they had conducted eight interviews for their vacant defensive coordinator position after firing Steve Wilks in the middle of the 2025 season. Among those eight candidates was current Detroit Lions defensive assistant/safeties coach Jim O’Neil.
O’Neil has only been with the Lions since 2024, but he has overseen one of the team’s best position groups. Under O’Neil, the Lions developed the young careers of Pro Bowler Brian Branch and All-Pro Kerby Joseph. Of course, that year O’Neil also overlapped with Aaron Glenn, who is now the coach of the Jets, but was...
Pride of Detroit
Here's the NFL playoff picture and schedule ahead of the Sunday slate of Wild Card Weekend.
FOX Sports Digital
The New England Patriots should aim to bolster their wide receiver corps this offseason, and Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown could be a top target in the mix.
While Brown isn’t currently a free agent, his apparent frustration with his role in Philadelphia’s offense this season has sparked speculation about a potential trade. Despite this, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently predicted that Brown will remain with the Eagles next season.
“Granted, this could be posturing, since the Eagles would gain nothing by publicly discussing their willingness to move one of their best players,” Buckley wrote on Friday. “Still, it sounds...
New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers officially hosted LB Gabriel Murphy for a visit on Friday, per the NFL Transactions wire.
He could be a candidate for a futures deal, which is essentially camp invites that will allow players to compete for roster spots during offseason workouts and training camp.
Murphy, 25, originally signed on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in May 2024. He was among Minnesota’s final roster cuts as a rookie and bounced on and off their practice squad.
He returned to the Vikings on a futures deal in January of last year and signed...
NFL Trade Rumors
The Jets’ defensive coordinator search has flown under the radar during a frenzied HC carousel, but it has taken shape Friday. The team announced eight candidates for the job.
In addition to interim DC Chris Harris, seven others received interviews. Don Martindale (Michigan), Jim Leonhard (Broncos), Ephraim Banda (Browns), Jim O’Neil (Lions), DeMarcus Covington (Packers), Daronte Jones (Vikings) and Mathieu Araujo (Dolphins) interviewed for the position.
Harris was reported as being likely to interview to keep the job, one he took on after the Steve Wilks firing, and Martindale came up as a candidate as well. The Jets submitted an...
Pro Football Rumors
The New York Jets announced Friday that they’ve completed eight interviews this week for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
The full list includes:
Martindale, 62, began his coaching career in 1986 as the defensive coordinator at Defiance. He later took his first NFL coaching job with the Raiders in 2004.
After a few years with the Broncos, Martindale joined the Ravens as their linebackers coach and was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator in 2018. He agreed...
NFL Trade Rumors
The much-hyped Houston Texans defense dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round, but their next test comes in the name of New England Patriots MVP-contending quarterback Drake Maye.
Texans safety Calen Bullock made headlines following his team’s win vs. the Steelers when he said that “the whole world knows” that Houston has the best defense.
Patriots wideout Kayshon Boutte fired back on Thursday by claiming that the Texans weren’t “the toughest” defense he’s had to prepare for.
Maye analyzed Houston’s group ahead of the AFC Divisional Round with some noteworthy words.
“Those guys, especially at the linebacker level, they’re...
New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Miami Dolphins announced they completed an interview with Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile for their head coaching vacancy.
Here’s an updated list of candidates for the Dolphins’ HC opening:
Campanile, 43, played college football at Rutgers and spent a few years coaching high school football...
NFL Trade Rumors
