Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and the NFL:

1. One of the evolving, neat stories with the Patriots -- and also around the NFL -- is the growing connection with John Carroll University. I was reminded of this over the Patriots’ first three organized team activities by watching coaching assistant Nick Caley as he begins his first year with the club. Caley graduated in 2006 from John Carroll, which is also the alma mater of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, director of player personnel Nick Caserio, assistant director of pro personnel Dave Ziegler and coaching assistant Jerry Schuplinski. On Thursday, I asked McDaniels what it is about John Carroll, a liberal arts school in northeast Ohio with an enrollment of 3,500, that has led to five alums landing with the organization. “The university is difficult and prepares you for a well-rounded lifestyle after school,” he said. “So I think someone that finishes, it’s a well-rounded person who is disciplined, someone you can trust, who is motivated to accomplish a lot of things in life and will work hard to never let you down.”

Josh McDaniels is one of five alums of John Carroll University who works in the organization. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

2. Longtime NFL linebacker London Fletcher (16-year pro career) is the most well-known NFL player to have graduated from John Carroll, while Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula (Class of ’51) has the stadium on campus named after him. Two sons of longtime NFL executive Bill Polian -- Chris (Jaguars director of pro personnel) and Brian (Nevada head coach) -- are also grads, as are current NFL general managers Tom Telesco (Chargers) and David Caldwell (Jaguars). Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman also is an alum, and in February, the Chargers hired John Carroll defensive coordinator Chris Shula (Don’s grandson) as a defensive quality control coach. In addition to the Patriots' quintet, those are just a few of the notable NFL connections with the Jesuit school out of the Ohio Athletic Conference, which sparks the question: Is there another Division III college that can come close to matching that NFL front-office/coaching impact? Said McDaniels: “It’s a unique little fraternity.”

3. After reading the American Enterprise Institute’s analysis of the Wells report (released Friday), the first thought that came to mind is that attorney Ted Wells might soon be holding another fiery conference call to defend his report, which cost the NFL around $5 million. AEI is a credible, independent entity whose analysis was tapped in arbitrator Paul Tagliabue’s ruling in the Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal when suspensions ultimately were overturned. The final line of the AEI analysis of the Wells report: “It is therefore unlikely that the Patriots deflated the footballs.” If I'm an NFL owner and read that, I'm asking myself how my league could spend so much money for such a non-definitive final result.

4. The AEI analysis of the Wells report successfully pokes holes in the science and how the report interpreted data, but notably didn’t reference anything about text messages between equipment assistant John Jastremski and locker-room attendant Jim McNally. So for those who view the text messages as the smoking gun, the AEI analysis likely won’t change minds. However, from this viewpoint, it does support those who believe Wells' report delivered what the client wanted because of how he interpreted and manipulated the data.

5. When Wells was defending his report and findings that Tom Brady was at least “generally aware” of wrongdoing in a May conference call, he said, “All of this discussion that people in the league office wanted to put some type of hit on the most iconic player of the league, the real face of the league, doesn’t make any sense.” But here’s the counterpoint to Wells: It makes sense if the alternative was that the league would look like it didn’t know what it was doing in the first place by calling for a full-scale, $5 million investigation on something easily explained by science. So essentially it was bury Brady or bury themselves. Which brings me back to my original point from early May: “I’ve digested the 243-page Wells report multiple times, and with its bias and lack of fairness in certain areas, I truly can’t believe what the commissioner has done to the legacy and reputation of one of the greatest quarterbacks and ambassadors in the history of the game -- all over air pressure in a football and without definitive proof he had anything to do with it.”

6. It’s seldom an ideal scenario to be looking for a veteran No. 3 quarterback, as the best course of action is to draft and develop, which also helps on the salary cap. Thus, if Tom Brady wasn’t suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season, I think it’s fair to say that the Patriots -- who have kept just two quarterbacks on their initial active roster in five of the last six years (2011 the exception) -- wouldn’t have signed veteran Matt Flynn on Friday and released first-year man Garrett Gilbert to do so. But this is the ultimate contingency plan move because the Patriots’ No. 3 quarterback takes on added importance given the dynamics in play with Brady, and Flynn (who turns 30 on June 20) is much more game-ready than Gilbert.

7. Did You Know (via ESPN’s Stats & Info/Elias Sports Bureau): The Broncos have won at least 12 games in each of Peyton Manning’s first three seasons in Denver, posting a league-best 38-10 record from 2012-14. But they’ve fallen short of winning the Super Bowl. This makes them the eighth team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to win at least 38 games in a three-year span and not win a Super Bowl. Manning and Tom Brady have led six of those eight teams.

Most wins in a three-year span without winning Super Bowl

2010-2012 Patriots (39)

2007-2009 Colts (39)

2006-2008 Patriots (39)

2012-2014 Broncos (38)

2005-2007 Patriots (38)

2003-2005 Colts (38)

1990-1992 49ers (38)

1983-1985 Dolphins (38)

The release of Tim Wright was puzzling given his contributions in 2014. Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports

8. The Patriots’ release of tight end Tim Wright, and subsequent signing of two undrafted free-agent tight ends, was one of the more puzzling sets of transactions because Wright made some notable contributions to the club in 2014 and figured to at least be given a chance to compete for a top backup job behind Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler. It makes one wonder if there were more than just pure football considerations in mind for the Patriots in cutting ties at this time on the calendar.

9. With the NFL moving the line of scrimmage for the extra point to the 15-yard line in hopes of making it a more competitive play, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski tried to put a positive spin on something he hoped wouldn’t happen. “I guess it’s a welcomed challenge,” he said this week. “To be completely honest, you can hit a pretty bad kick and still make a 20-yard extra point and now you won’t have that luxury. It makes it a little tougher, but nowhere near impossible to still excel. I’ve already begun wearing that spot out in practice.” Gostkowski said he’s uncertain what the effect of the change will be league-wide, but specific to Gillette Stadium, he agreed that kicking into the end zone with the lighthouse is generally the more challenging side.

10. It was nice to see former Patriots running back Sammy Morris (2007-10) back on the Patriots practice field Thursday, working in a coaching capacity (he’s been an assistant at Attleboro High School in recent years). Running backs coach Ivan Fears joked that he was tempted to suit Morris up in his backfield because he looked so good, then touched on why he has a bright future as a coach. “He has a great passion for the game,” Fears said. “That’s the No. 1 thing he’s got to have -- he loves what he’s doing, he loves coaching, he loves the kids, and he will treat them right. He’ll take care of his players and he’ll learn. I think Sammy will do a great job.”

EXTRA POINT: Warm wishes and a big public thank you to Patriots media relations assistant Christy Berkery, whose last day with the club was Friday. Christy was a primary force in helping the Patriots maintain their position as an industry leader in social media. She is a true professional and will be missed.