Fans are crazy. New England Patriots legend Dont’a Hightower learned that in his playing career. Between playing for Alabama and playing in New England, he’s played in front of some wild fanbases.
Now that he’s free from the Sauron-like ever-seeing eye of Bill Belichick, the former linebacker is now free to tell some of the stories fo crazy fans.
Patriots-Bills anti-analysis
I’m not here to analyze the Patriots game this Sunday. That sounds like actual work Chris Mason, Mark Daniels, Karen Guregian or Matt Vautour would do (suckers). Instead, I’m here to point out 5-10 observations and general tidbits that have at least a tangential connection to Sunday’s game.
1. Dont’a Hightower was asked to sign a baby
The longtime Patriots linebacker appeared on “Spilling the T in the SEC” to discuss some quirks from his playing career. Out of the gate, he was asked what the weirdest request he ever got from a fan was.
“I’ve been asked to sign a baby,” Hightower said.
The interview had a couple of surprises, including the fact that Hightower had never gone tubing before he went to college. The first time he went was when the team got together to go tubing at Alabama coach (and longtime Belichick buddy) Nick Saban’s house.
Hightower also played a game where he had the choice to answer a question or take a sip of sweet tea as a penalty.
The first question: “Did you ever break team curfew?”
After a long pause, Hightower took a sip. Well, looks like there’s still part of the Patriots media training in there.
2. The Bill Belichick-Approved Non-Answer of the Week: Special Edition
This week, we have a player who genuinely tried to talk to the media, probably because he was too nice to say know.
Reporters caught rookie receiver Demario Douglas in the locker room Tuesday after he was spotted at practice. It was the first Douglas was spotted on the field since going into concussion protocol during the Week 5 game against the Saints.
Reporter: “How are you feeling?”
Douglas: “Feeling good.”
Reporter: “Saw you back out there today.”
Douglas: “Yeah, felt good to be back out there.”
Reporter: “Hard to miss last game?”
Douglas: “Yeah, I just love to be out on the field, you know? Watching my boys out there gets me excited.”
It was then that a Patriots staffer came over to shut down the interview. It appeared that the rookie was still technically in concussion protocol.
There was a justification behind the move. But somewhere, you could hear the Patriots going “Yoink!” as they gave the hook to a player they didn’t want talking.
3. The “He’s On That Team Now?” Player of the Week: WR Andy Isabella
You may recall Isabella from his days at UMass, where his elite speed turned him into a second-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
Things didn’t work out for Isabella in Arizona. He was waived midway through the 2022 season. He then spent the rest of 2022 with the Ravens before landing in Buffalo this season. He’s currently on the Bills practice squad.
The Patriots “NFL Jam” T-Shirt from Homage (Homage)
4. Some sweet new Patriots retro shirts just dropped
There’s a new line of shirts from Homage that are a play on old-school games like NBA Jame and Tecmo Bowl. The Patriots got their own version as part of the “NFL Jam” line, highlighting two stars from the early 90s — quarterback Drew Bledsoe and running back Curtis Martin.
The stats all look good, except for Bledsoe’s speed. That’s a tough break, Drew.
4. Devin McCourty is joking about unretiring — to play in the Olympics
5. Name of the Week: OL Ryan Van Demark
I’ve looked at this name probably 50 times at this point. Every time, I check to make sure whether the last name is or isn’t “Van Denmark.” It feels like it should be “Van Denmark.”
This surname befuddles me.
