Photo: Joel Auerbach / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
By Chris Ryan
The New England Patriots will look to do something Sunday they haven't done all season: Win two games in a row.
With that being said, the Pats have won two out of three games, that snapped a six-game losing streak, and lifted a pretty significant dark cloud that was hovering over head coach Jerod Mayo. With the way the Pats played in the motherland in London against the Jaguars it seemed realistic to wonder if New England would win another game this season. They were playing that poorly.
But, there have been a couple of really positive developments. Jerod Mayo and his staff seem to growing more comfortable in their roles, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye seems to get better every week.
Teammates have also raved about Maye's steady leadership, understanding how to make adjustments and his authenticity
"He does a good job of communicating to guys," said Patriots tight end Austin Hooper. "He knows his stuff. He plays with a lot of passion. He plays with a lot of fire."
Hooper says the authenticity piece is really important, especially from a rookie, regardless of how talented they are.
"You got to be who you are. You can't fake it. Not in this business. You got too many adults. I'm 30-years-old. Nobody in their 30's wants to hear somebody who's 22 coming in and talking a whole lot."
The Pats host the Los Angeles Rams tomorrow at 1p
Bruins Still Underperforming
The dark cloud that was hovering over the Patriots has shifted to Causeway Street where the Boston Bruins are 8-8-2 nearly a quarter into their season.
The Jacobs opened their wallets this offseason rewarding goaltender Jeremy Swayman with a record setting contract, and signing two high profile free agents in defenseman Nikita Zadorov and center Elias Lindholm.
This has turned the attention to third-year head coach Jim Montgomery, who has had to hear speculation about his job status. He says that his coaching style hasn't changed, although the team does play a bit differently based upon personnel changes.
"I think you have to be consistent, and you have to be yourself," said Montgomery. "As far as how we play, year one we could possess or we could forecheck, in year two we went to more of a forechecking group and we think that's what this group is as well."
The Bruins host the St Louis Blues today at 1p
Celtics Struggle with Complacency
It's fair to say that the Boston Celtics loss to an undermanned Atlanta Hawks team to begin the NBA Cup on the parquet on Tuesday night was eye-opening for the group.
The Celtics are the hunted. The NBA's lone super team. They get the opponents best. Every. Single. Night.
Boston also has enormous expectations. They are double-digit favorites, almost every game.
For Jaylen Brown, and many of the other players, it's about having fun again.
"I think the biggest challenge for us is continuing to try to find joy. Be Competitive, and not just go thru the motions."
The Celtics host the Toronto Raptors tonight at 8p.
The Press Pass column (sometimes) drops Fridays and the show airs on iHeart NH Saturday and Sunday at 11a. Chris also covers the Patriots for WBZ-Boston's News Radio and host's New Hampshire Today weekdays from 6-9a on iHeart NH.