A few picked-up Patriots pieces from around the Web:

Getting to know top pick Brown. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe traveled to Brenham, Texas to profile Patriots first-round draft choice Malcom Brown. In the piece, which is headlined "Malcom Brown is intentionally grounded", Volin details how Brown's father was killed in a car crash when Brown was 4, and his mother, Barbara, struggled to provide for Malcom and his three brothers. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald and Christopher Price of WEEI.com also have pieces on Brown.

Flowers and the 55-inch box jump. Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald shines the spotlight on fourth-round draft pick Trey Flowers, the defensive end from Arkansas. Guregian touches on Flowers' 55-inch box jump and quotes Arkansas coach Bret Bielema saying, "From the first day I arrived on campus, he was one of the greatest leaders, one of the greatest competitors, and one of the greatest players I’ve been around. I think I’ve had 35 players drafted now from the first round to the seventh round, and he set himself apart Day 1.”

Richards like having another coach on the field. Adam Kurkjian of the Boston Herald has a feature story on second-round draft choice Jordan Richards, as he speaks to his father Terry as well as some of Richards' coaches over the years. Richards' dad, Terry, explained that after the Blizzard of '78 he decided to move from Massachusetts to California. Meanwhile, Richards' high school coach described him as another coach on the field.

Former Chargers' GM supports Patriots. A.J. Smith, a native of Cranston, Rhode Island, tells Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal that Deflategate is essentially a bunch of hot air. "Everyone should just move on,” Smith said. “The way the [NFL] has handled this is embarrassing, in my opinion. Lots to do about nothing."

Questions with pressure gauges in Wells report. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out one significant takeaway he has from the Wells Report and how varied readings from two pressure gauges, and uncertainty over which gauge was used to measure footballs at the start of the game, creates a major question mark over the validity of the data.

Patriots fans stand behind Brady. David Waldstein talks to Patriots fans in Boston and writes in the New York Times about their unwavering support.