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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts around the New England Patriots and the NFL:  1. It has been a rough start to the season for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, which makes the Patriots' decision to not get into a high-stakes bidding war for his services after the 2014 season look shrewd. Revis' five-year, $70 million contract with the Jets includes an astounding $39 million fully guaranteed. The Patriots were never going to touch that, as they favored a contract with option bonuses that protected them financially in the event that Revis had a sharp decline. The Jets, meanwhile, went all-in. That was a hotly debated decision in New England, one the club took quite a bit of heat for in some circles. Given Revis' early-season struggles, the tone of the discussion would be a lot different today than it was 18 months ago. Still, the final story can't be written just yet, as it remains to be seen if Revis can regain some of his past form.
2. The Patriots' roster looks different from the norm in 2016, with just four pure receivers (special teams captain Matthew Slater isn't included in the group), with Bill Belichick previously making it a point that the club elected to carry its depth at tight end, with four players. This is a calculated risk, especially with 30-year-old receivers Julian Edelman (foot) and Danny Amendola (knee/ankle) coming off offseason surgery. For some league-wide context, there are only two other teams with just four pure receivers on their rosters, the Chargers and the Lions. To account for the low numbers, the Patriots have three receivers on their practice squad, and only two other NFL clubs (Lions, Seahawks) have that many receivers on their practice squads. Another factor to monitor is whether former Patriots receivers Aaron Dobson (tryouts with Jets, Eagles, 49ers) and Keshawn Martin sign as free agents in the coming weeks. They would probably be high on the team's emergency list in the event of an injury. 3. Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming was fined $18,231 for unnecessary roughness and what the NFL determined was a leg whip in Sunday's season-opening win at Arizona. Fleming will appeal and could benefit from a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that caps a player's fine on a first offense at 25 percent of his weekly salary. One can debate whether the play was a leg whip -- I don't see it that way -- but regardless, it doesn't sit well with me that a player such as Fleming could lose half his game check for one play. Fleming earns $37,500 per game as part of his $600,000 base salary. 4. Let's catch up with a few former Patriots and see how they’re faring with their new teams: Dominique Easley (Rams): The 2014 first-round pick played 33 snaps as a reserve defensive tackle in a loss to the 49ers and finished with three tackles and one forced fumble. Kamu Grugier-Hill (Eagles): The 2016 sixth-round pick from Eastern Illinois played one snap at linebacker and nine on special teams in a victory over the Browns, and he made a critical tackle for a loss on a fake punt. Chris Harper (49ers): The 2015 undrafted free agent from California was promoted from the practice squad as a depth option for a win over the Rams, and he played two offensive snaps but did not register on the stat sheet. He was waived and then re-signed to the practice squad. Chris Jones (Dolphins): The defensive tackle was re-signed this week, when starter Earl Mitchell was placed on injured reserve (calf). Patriots fans will see him don No. 52 on Sunday. Josh Kline (Titans): The guard who was waived after the Patriots acquired cornerback Eric Rowe in a trade from Philadelphia was inactive for the team's loss to the Vikings. Cre'Von LeBlanc (Bears): The undrafted cornerback was inactive in Chicago's season-opening loss at Houston. Darryl Roberts (Jets): The 2015 seventh-round pick from Marshall was inactive for the first two games of the season, a home loss to the Bengals and Thursday's road win at Buffalo. 5. One area the Dolphins highlighted leading into Sunday's game against the Patriots is how quickly Jimmy Garoppolo got rid of the ball in the season-opening win over the Cardinals, so watch Sunday to see if the Dolphins can take away his initial, quick read and force him to hold the ball longer. How to do that? Expect them to pay extra attention to Edelman to see if it helps them achieve that goal. Their hope is that if they can do that, their talented defensive line can win up front and help control the game. 6. Did you know? According to ESPN Stats & Information, Garoppolo had an average time before pass of 2.17 seconds last week, which was fifth-fastest in the NFL in Week 1. For comparison, Tom Brady's average time before pass was 2.26 seconds last season, second-fastest in the NFL. 7. First-year Dolphins head coach Adam Gase might be the NFL's youngest sideline boss, at 38, but his presence has stood out to some around the Dolphins. Gase has had several of his former players visit the team, a group that included quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Marc Bulger and receivers Reggie Wayne, Isaac Bruce and Wes Welker. Those players have been invited to sit in team meetings and encouraged to talk to players on the current roster. 8. It was stunning to me to hear Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and Arizona head coach Bruce Arians publicly call out some of their players following last Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Patriots (Keim's comments and Arians' comments), mainly because my primary background is covering the Patriots, and that seldom, if ever, happens here. But I'm told this wasn't the first time that has happened since Keim took over as GM in 2013 and hired Arians as coach, as their philosophy is to not say anything publicly that they haven't told a player. That must be another part of Chandler Jones' culture shock after the trade from New England to Arizona. Jones, by the way, has hardly been heard from since Sunday's loss. 9a. Leftover note: Garoppolo said he had about 40 tickets for family and friends for the season opener. He said the number dropped to about 20 for Sunday's home opener. 9b. Random thought: When it comes to Patriots' rookies and the maturity and intelligence that make them seem like they're already long-time veterans, guard Joe Thuney has struck me as being in a special class that includes the likes of Jerod Mayo (2008) and Devin McCourty (2010). 10. Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears is among many who will be coaching with a heavy heart Sunday, after the death of longtime Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Clarence Brooks at the age of 65 on Saturday. Brooks, who attended New Bedford (Massachusetts) High School, played guard at UMass (1970-72) and got his coaching start at the school (1976-80) before he coached with Fears at Syracuse throughout the 1980s. He battled esophageal cancer for the past year. Condolences to the Brooks family and to Fears on the loss of his close friend.
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