Hey folks, did you realize Malcolm Mitchell retired? Peter King is in the only one who did!
6. I think there was a blip on the NFL radar Friday, and I do believe no one, even in New England, paid much attention. That is wrong. At an event at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, former Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell announced his retirement. Players retire all the time, of course, and they all have their reasons. For Mitchell, the collective reason was 10 knee surgeries and never being able to get his health right. I’m not sure people recall how important a role he played in the 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl 51. You may remember a couple of years ago, when I visited Tom Brady a week after that comeback, and walked him through the comeback from 25 down late in the third quarter. New England scored on four straight possessions to tie the game and send it to overtime. The second possession of the four had Mitchell’s fingerprints all over it.
From my column two years ago:
Great stat from the Elias Sports Bureau: In the Patriots first six Super Bowls in the Brady/Belichick era, New England never completed a pass to a rookie. In this game, rookie fourth-round pick Malcolm Mitchell was huge—six catches, 70 yards, in big spots—and especially big on this drive. He had catches of 15, seven and 18 yards, and Brady said the reason offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had him in the game, and Brady picked him on routes with multiple options, came down to one word: trust. “I think he had earned that trust of everybody,’’ Brady said. “… If it was Julian [Edelman] open, Julian was going to get it. If it was Malcolm, Malcolm was going to get it. Malcolm happened to be in those spots. And everybody had confidence to have Malcolm in those spots if he got it. He proved everybody right because he came up with the plays.’’ Two big
Grady Jarrett sacks forced the Patriots to kick a field goal. With 9:48 left, it was a two-score game.
A shame that Mitchell could not get healthy enough to continue his career, but he has made an impact as an advocate for literacy too.