Predictions for the New England Patriots 2019 Season

Game ball on the ground 

Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash

With more than 15 years of executive experience in the investment banking industry, James "Jimmy" Ahern serves as a managing partner and the head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company in New York City. In addition to his professional responsibilities, James “Jim” Ahern avidly follows Boston sports, including the Super Bowl 53 Champions, the New England Patriots.

With Tom Brady as quarterback, the New England Patriots have been to the Super Bowl seven times, and have a 5-2 record. This makes the team a top contender in the 2019 season. Here are some predictions for the New England Patriots from top sports news publications.

Patriots Take Rushing Game to New Heights
NBC Sports foresees the Patriots becoming a top-five rushing team, whether due to head coach Bill Belichick's strategizing or as a way to take pressure off of Brady, who is 42 years old. In 2018, the team ranked eighth in the NFL in run-play percentage.

Brady Will Focus on N’Keal Harry
The Patriots took a big loss when receiver Rob Gronkowski left the team at the end of last season. Chowder and Champions predicts N’Keal Harry, the first-round draft pick from Arizona State, will fill the gap.

Top Contenders for Winning AFC
SportingNews.com sees the Patriots easily winning their division. And while it won't go so far as to say the team will definitely win the American Football Conference, it puts them at the front of the pack.

Red Sox Affiliate Makes History in the Broadcast Booth

An alumnus of The Northfield Mount Hermon School, James "Jimmy" Ahern has served as managing partner and head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company since 2010. Despite working out of Laidlaw's New York offices, James Ahern is a passionate fan of Boston sports teams, including the Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Women have been receiving more opportunities in sports broadcasting in recent years, yet one Red Sox minor league affiliate is set to make history in that regard. On February 27, the Single-A-Advanced Salem Red Sox announced it had hired Melanie Newman as its play-by-play announcer. Newman will join Suzie Cool who, last season, became the first woman broadcaster in the Carolina League. The two-woman broadcasting team is not only the first of its kind in the Carolina league, but all of professional baseball.

Newman did play-by-play for the Texas Rangers' Double-A affiliate last season and has prior broadcasting experience with GameDay Radio, the ACC Network, and FOX Sports Southwest. She's also a lifetime Red Sox fan. Cool, meanwhile, previously worked as part of the AT&T Sports Network's Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast team.

Despite the historic first, there is still work to be done in providing opportunities for female voices in baseball. There are only four other women broadcasters in MLB and the minor leagues combined.

The Best Players in Boston Red Sox History

Despite residing in New York City, Laidlaw & Company executive James (Jimmy) Ahern enjoys following Boston sports. A fan of the Red Sox, James Ahern cheers on a team whose storied history includes several outstanding athletes. According to experts, the very best players ever to call Fenway Park home are: 

Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez spent seven seasons in Boston, during which time he won his second and third Cy Young Awards and compiled a 117-37 record. His 1999 season, in which he finished second in MVP voting, ranks among the most impressive in MLB history. 

David Ortiz

Boston fans could never have predicted that a little-known free agent acquired in January of 2003 would become one of the best players in franchise history. In 14 seasons at Fenway Park, Big Papi made 10 All-Star teams and helped lead the Red Sox to three World Series titles.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams holds distinction the last MLB player to finish a qualifying season with a .400 average. Still considered by some to be the greatest hitter in baseball history, he boasts the best individual statistics of any Red Sox player ever, this despite missing significant time while serving in both World War II and Korea.

Patriots Sign Former Atlanta Defensive End Adrian Clayborn

An alumnus of the Northfield Mount Hermon School, James "Jimmy" Ahern draws upon 15 years of experience in the financial sector in his role as head of capital markets for New York's Laidlaw & Company. Outside of his responsibilities with Laidlaw, James "Jim" Ahern is a passionate fan of the National Football League's New England Patriots.

The Patriots filled a major void in its roster on March 16 with the signing of free agent defensive end Adrian Clayborn. New England's inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks was evident during the most recent Super Bowl, in which its defensive line struggled to pressure Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. Clayborn should provide significant help in this area.

Viewed as one of the league's elite defensive players, Clayborn is an Iowa alumnus who was selected 20th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with the team before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. Throughout his seven-year career, the 6-foot-3, 281-pound defensive lineman has recorded 167 tackles, 30 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. The 29 year old is coming off an impressive season in which he recorded career-best figures in sacks (9.5) and fumble recoveries (2).

Red Sox Sign Veteran Catcher Oscar Hernandez

Since joining Laidlaw & Company in 2010, James "Jimmy" Ahern has helped facilitate over $2 billion in transactions, primarily on behalf of companies in the healthcare sector. When he isn't leveraging his investment banking skills for Laidlaw & Company's clients, James "Jim" Ahern enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Boston Red Sox. 

The Red Sox are already deep at the catcher position with Sandy Leon, Blake Swihart, and Christian Vazquez all slated to compete for the starting job in 2018, but competition will be even more intense during spring training as the team recently signed 24-year-old Oscar Hernandez. The native of Venezuela began his career in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system but was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. 

Since joining the Diamondbacks, Hernandez has played in only 22 games and has a less-than-stellar .167 career batting average to go along with one home run and two runs batted in (RBI), but he's primarily known for his impressive defensive capabilities. Through eight seasons at the minor league level, he has 63 home runs, 258 RBI, and a career batting average of .256.

Celtics Win 16 Consecutive Games in First Half of 2016-17 Season

Since becoming managing partner of Laidlaw & Company in 2010, James Ahern has helped grow the firm into a nationally-recognized healthcare investment bank with multiple offices throughout the United States and one in London, England. Beyond his work with Laidlaw & Company, James Ahern is a passionate fan of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Through 23 games in the 2017-18 regular season, the Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference with a win-loss record of 19-4. The team dropped its first two games of the season but proceeded to win its next 16, including an impressive come-from-behind win against the defending champion Golden State Warriors in which the Celtics trailed by 17 points on two separate occasions. Boston came within three wins of equaling its franchise record of 19 consecutive wins, which was set by the 2008-09 team. That team began the year with a remarkable 27-2 record and finished with a record of 62-20 before being upset by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the playoffs. 

The 2017-18 team's streak came to an end in a November 22 contest against the Miami Heat. Boston had overcome double-digit deficits in games against the Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, and Dallas Mavericks, but suffered a 104-98 loss to the Heat. The 16-game streak tied for the fourth longest in franchise history.

Red Sox Select Pitcher Tanner Houck in First Round of MLB Draft

Through nearly seven years as head of capital markets for Laidlaw & Company, James "Jim" Ahern has grown the investment bank to national recognition with offices in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and London. When he isn't busy with his work at Laidlaw, James Ahern enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Boston Red Sox. 

The 40-round 2017 MLB Amateur Draft was held in June and the Red Sox had the 24th overall selection. Boston used that pick to choose hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck, who the organization anticipates becoming a member of the starting rotation in the not-so-distant future. One of the hardest throwers available in the draft, Houck regularly reaches 96 miles per hour (mph) with his fastball and has reached 98 mph on occasion.

A native of Collinsville, Illinois, Houck spent this past season at the University of Missouri, where he posted a 4-7 record and a 3.33 earned run average (ERA) to go along with 95 strikeouts in 94.66 innings. He was signed by the Red Sox and has since started four games for the team's A-ball affiliate the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Pennsylvania League. To date, he has a 3.68 ERA and has given up just four hits while striking out nine batters in 7.33 innings.