LOOKS LIKE PATRIOTS EXPECTED COACH TO FAIL

 Thoughts While Thinking …

(But first ,,, the New York Rangers have given

 ZAC JONES permission to make a deal for 

himself. The defenseman from Richmond has 

been a healthy scratch for the last seven games 

and, last week, told reporters he felt like he was 

“rotting away” … despite playing better than 

other players at his position … which most fans 

agree ,,, In the last year both defending Cup 

champion Florida and Columbus apparently 

expressed interest in Jones but the Rangers’ 

asking price was too high. Stay tuned. Now, let’s 

return to our regularly-scheduled babbling.)

Geeez, it sure looks like the Patriots hired coach

 JEROD MAYO confident he would fail. From 

here, a long, long distance way … anybody want 

to bet NFL commissioner ROGER GOODELL

 … ahh, recommended owner ROBERT 

KRAFT make a Rooney Rule hire as BILL 

BELICHICK’s successor? A savvy guy, Kraft 

immediately thought of Mayo, a former Pats’ 

standout … lacking in basic communication 

skills … in charge of a team in transition likely 

to lose a lot, which it did (3-15) … giving the 

organization time to hire the coach it really 

wanted.

Also, while just about everyone was surprised, 

that – if nothing else – explains why Lions’ 

much-wanted DC AARON GLENN rejected 

Pats’ invitation for an interview … The Rooney 

Rule – thy shalt interview a minority candidate 

(or two or more) in any search for a head coach 

… or be subjected to a fine and public 

humiliation – has the woeful New York Jets 

talking to a college coach who (a) never has 

worked in the NFL; and (b) has a losing record.

 MIKE LOCKSLEY, 32-36 in seven years at 

the University of Maryland (35-67 overall), 

talked to the Jets Friday … In all, they plan to 

bring in as many as 15 candidates, with seven 

already interviewed … among them REX 

RYAN, who immediately said he was leader in 

the clubhouse; and former Tennessee Titans 

coach MIKE VRABEL, said to be No. l on the 

Patriots’ wish list … Ryan had a six-season 

record of 50-52 for the Jets – and coached them 

to their last playoff appearance in 2010 – before 

being fired in 2014.

BILL McCARTNEY, who led the University of 

Colorado to its only national championship in 

football (1990), died Friday at age 84 of 

complications from dementia. His running back 

was ERIC BIENIEMY, who finished third in 

balloting for the Heisman Trophy and later 

became an offensive coordinator of some note 

with the Kansas City Chiefs … In 2023, he 

joined the Washington Football Club, in charge 

of the offense, and the Commanders finished 4-

13. This past season Bieniemy was assistant head 

coach and OC at UCLA which finished 5-7, with 

an offense that was 117^th in rushing yards and 

126^th in scoring … and he was fired.

Also going to the great beyond last week was

 ALMacNEIL, former NHL player and coach 

who directed Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley 

Cup in 1971 only to be replaced by SCOTTY 

BOWMAN. MacNeil was named coach of the 

Canadiens’ top farm team in Nova Scotia where 

the AHL Voyageurs won three of the next six 

Calder Cup championships with him behind the 

bench … Richmond’s first hockey team, the 

Robins, joined the AHL for the 1971-72 season, 

and they had some memorable games with Nova 

Scotia … especially on the road where the 

Voyageurs played in an old, run-down building 

… with a much-smaller than regulation 200X95 

playing surface, birds flying in the rafters … and 

where it was so cold you would swear they 

didn’t need an ice-making plant.

Finally … the Rangers continued to irritate their 

fan base Friday, sending hard-working rookie 

forward BRETT BERARD to AHL Hartford … 

while summoning BO GROULX from the Wolf 

Pack. NY coach PETER LAVIOLETTE said, 

with FILIP CHYTIL out with an unspecified 

injury, the Rangers needed depth at center … 

which the 6-2, 210-pound Groulx, signed as 

a free agent after being released by Anaheim, 

provides … What Laviolette didn’t explain was 

why Berard, a non-stop hustler, was sent down. 

In 19 games he had three goals and seven points, 

serving at right wing primarily on the third line 

… He was minus 9 in the tell-tale plus-minus 

category, which might have been a reason … 

except that, at the midpoint of the season, only 

seven of the 21 players listed (and still active) on 

the roster, was plus led by WILL CUYLIE (plus 

8). Jones was plus 2 as was ADAM FOX.

 BRADEN SCHNEIDER led all defensemen 

with plus 5 … while RYAN LINDGREN was 

minus 5 and D’ANDRE MILLER minus 6 … 

Team worst:  MIKA ZIBANEJAD(minus 21) 

followed by ALEXIS LAFRENIERE (minus 

12). ARTEMI PANARIN, who went into 

Saturday night’s game at Las Vegas leading the 

19-20-2 Rangers in goals (17) and points (44), 

was minus 7. 

Until next time ...