Ben Volin
The Boston Globe
Boston, MA, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
Your Patriots free agency primer: Who could walk, what they need, and players to know
The Patriots need a receiver and a tackle. They've got 16 free agents — including Jakobi Meyers and Damien Harris — who could walk. Our reporters offer their insight and analysis as things begin to heat up. → Read More
Going deep inside the Ravens’ complicated negotiations with Lamar Jackson
The Ravens are risking losing their franchise quarterback without having a valid backup plan, and getting two first-round picks in return is a pittance for losing a player such as Jackson. → Read More
How will the Patriots approach each position in free agency?
With at least $30 million in cap space, they need several upgrades on offense and have a few holes to fill on defense. → Read More
How do teams really treat their players? The best nuggets from the NFL Players Association’s anonymous survey
The NFLPA said 1,300 players contributed to the survey, which evaluated treatment of families, nutrition, weight room, strength staff, training room, training staff, and locker room, and travel. → Read More
49ers appear to leave the door wide open for Tom Brady, and other buzz from the NFL Combine
Brady is what the 49ers need to take advantage of their shrinking Super Bowl window. And let’s see how he feels when he’s missing training camp and his boyhood team comes calling. → Read More
NFL caves to player demands, and other top story lines for the upcoming Combine
The Combine is the one event that NFL Network hordes as exclusive property, and the league milks it dry. → Read More
A Boston-based sportswear company reimagines the athlete experience at the NFL Combine
Thanks to NOBULL, pro prospects will have a new 20,000-square-foot training center — so they won't have to warm up in convention center hallways. → Read More
Patriots have the money and the means to revamp their offense. Here is a plan.
The Patriots currently have the fifth-most cap space in the NFL ($45.28 million) and have earmarked just $136.7 million for 2023. → Read More
A look at some of the NFL’s misplaced postseason honors
For the first time, this Globe reporter was one of 50 voters for the NFL's season-ending awards and All-Pro teams, both managed by the Associated Press. → Read More
NFL could have a big problem at next year’s Super Bowl if it doesn’t figure out its turf issues
The grass in Glendale, Ariz., was slippery and treacherous. Only one other NFL venue uses the same surface — and it's the site of next year's Super Bowl. → Read More
The Chiefs’ red zone offense is one trick after another, and the Eagles have to be ready for anything
Creativity, imagination, and trickery inside the 20, and especially near the goal line, have long been staples of Andy Reid’s offensive philosophy. → Read More
Andy Reid has the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl. And he could soon be nipping at Bill Belichick’s heels.
Belichick, six years older than Reid, is just 51 regular-season wins (and 10 postseason wins) ahead of Reid. → Read More
Concussions were up in 2022, but Roger Goodell doesn’t think the NFL needs to cut back on games
The commissioner noted that the total number of injuries leaguewide decreased by nearly 6 percent from 2021 to 2022. → Read More
Belichick-Brady podcast conversation was genuine, heartfelt — and savvy business
They seem to understand that they will be linked forever, and there is nothing to be gained from any ostensible friction between them. → Read More
Jeffrey Lurie was a diehard Patriots fan — and now his Eagles are the envy of many NFL owners
Lurie grew up in Newton and Chestnut Hill and watched a lot of Patriots games from the metal bleachers at Nickerson Field and Schaefer Stadium. → Read More
Sean Payton has his work cut out for him in Denver, and more from the NFL coaching carousel
As of Friday, two head coaching vacancies were still available, along with nine offensive coordinator and five defensive coordinator spots. → Read More
Tom Brady retires once again — and ‘for good’ this time, he says
Brady, coming off his first losing season as a starter, will hang it up at 45. His announcement comes a year after he said he would no longer make the "competitive commitment" to football before changing his mind 40 days later to return for a 23rd season. → Read More
The NFL’s ‘all-star’ officiating crews are ruining the playoffs
Using "all-star" crews — a demand of the Referees Association in the last CBA — leads to combinations of officials who haven't worked with each other. The result? Embarrassing mistakes like we saw Sunday. → Read More
Injuries wreck what should have been an entertaining championship game between the Eagles and 49ers
It sounds weird to say when Philadelphia won by 24 points, but the Eagles did not play the crispest game on offense and were lucky the 49ers basically played without a quarterback. → Read More
Does paying big money to an NFL quarterback do more harm than good?
This year’s playoffs certainly raise the question of whether it’s better to keep drafting a quarterback every few years and spend the money elsewhere. → Read More