Pigskin pundits and bobbleheads, burned by past prognostications, are already backing away from the notion that this is the year the Patriots finish second in the AFC East. This despite Tom Brady’s four-game suspension. There’s still Sith Lord Belichick and his loyal lieutenants patrolling the sidelines. There’s the defense that gets to tune up for the regular season by facing Brady in training camp and there are all those weapons on offense Garoppolo will have at his disposal when things get really real. Everyone west of the Connecticut River is hoping against hope New England will stumble out of the gate at 1-3-0 if not 0-4-0 but like the gridiron cognoscenti, in their heart of hearts, they fear the Patriots.
Put another way, if you’re a Bills, Dolphins or Jets fan, the Patriots are in your head; Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are sitting on a couch in the living room of your head, watching Matt Damon movies.
If you’re a Patriots fan, you’re chuckling over the prospect that not one but two Ryan brothers will be fired at the end of this season, the notion Adam Gase can fix Ryan Tannehill and that this is the year Ryan Fitzpatrick gets to the playoffs.
Hey, want to go out and catch the new Bourne movie?
Okay; it’s that time of year when every football fan believes this could be the year.
I’m no different.
It just turns out I'm right more often than the fans of other teams.
I actually found myself thinking this is the year for Aaron Dobson.
He’s having a great camp, as he’s done in past year’s, taking full advantage of Julian Edelman extradition to Sweden and Danny Amendola’s absence as he recovers from his annual offseason surgeries. I admit I was done with Dobson after the Malcolm Mitchell pick but then I read Dobson got invited to participate in one of Brady’s exclusive side sessions, along with Gronk and Martysaurus Rex.
Aaron Dobson!
How great would that be? It’s easy to want to believe in that possible future. A big, fast, outside the numbers wide receiver stretching the field? Yes, please. Have some.
Speaking of the numbers, the Patriots are set at wide receiver, barring setbacks for Edelman or Amendola. Belichick has famously had his issues drafting wide receivers (fingers crossed, Malcolm Mitchell!) but he’s done pretty well in free agency and trades and may have struck gold with Chris Hogan who reportedly has yet to drop a pass in OTAs and the first few practices of training camp. Before camp started, I would’ve had Edelman, Amendola, Hogan, Mitchell and Keshawn Martin as the top five with the vain hope Devin Lucien can clear waivers and be added to the practice squad. Matthew Slater, of course, takes the sixth spot in the position group though we all hope to never see a pass thrown his way during actual game action. Ever. That leaves Dobson, DeAndre Carter (a much more likely get for the practice squad), Chris Harper and Nate Washington on the outside looking in. It probably takes an injury - or another misfire by Belichick on Mitchell - for Dobson to make the roster.
We have seen this movie before, of course. This isn’t the first time Dobson has had a great camp only to drop passes and pull hamstrings once the regular season started. Still, it would be a great story for Dobson to prove that we can do the same thing over and over again and actually get different results.
I’m completely sold on the return of Dante Scarnecchia and a return to form on the offensive line. Okay, Jonathan Cooper’s injury was a bit of a “roll your eyes” moment (oft-injured player suffers injury in training camp - who saw that coming?). I was heartened by Cooper working with the 1’s even if it was only because Shaq Mason is idled by injury. I’m still hoping Cooper comes back from the foot injury and lives up to his first round draft status though not as much as I’m hoping Shaq Mason comes back from his knee injury and builds on his rookie year performance. I’ll concede it’s too early to say rookie Joe Thuney will be the next Logan Mankins at left guard but I’ll also admit I’m thinking it. I’m good with David Andrews taking over at center and giving Bryan Stork a shot at right tackle where he was competitive when pressed into duty last year. I’d rather have one more year of Sebastian Vollmer on the right side, of course.
Vollmer is the only Patriots offensive lineman over 30. Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon (I’m gonna miss him) are next oldest at 28. There’s a surfeit of young talent Belichick has stockpiled for Scarnecchia and I think he’ll make the best of it.
I also believe Jimmy Garoppolo will play well enough for a 2-2-0 record when Brady returns.
I actually think New England is more likely to be 3-1-0 when they tee it up in Cleveland. 4-0-0 is unlikely but not as unlikely as 0-4-0.
If New England is 4-0-0 and Garoppolo’s name is in the top 5 for QB stats no matter how you sort them - yards, TD, completion percentage, passer rating, you name it - Bill Belichick isn’t going to like it but pigskin pundits and bobbleheads are going to ask that question again. You know, the “any chance Jimmy Garoppolo could start Week 5” question.
Even I recognize this is crazy talk.
I mean, I hope Jimmy G plays lights out. I hope the Pats are 4-0-0 when Brady returns as an early season double middle finger to Roger Goodell and the rest of the NFL but anything better than 2-2-0 is jimmies on the sundae and the Bledsoe-Brady/Brady-Garoppolo comps are clearly a false equivalency. First of all, Drew Bledsoe was a very good NFL quarterback but he was not the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Second of all, I don’t think I need a second of all with that first of all. Okay, if Jimmy G starts 4-0-0 with 18 TD, 2 INT and 1500+ yards passing, then you can ask Bill about Week 5.
Not that I’d be unhappy with those numbers.
I’ll be happy if Garoppolo plays well enough to secure Detroit’s #1 pick in the 2017 draft, joining new Lions head coach Josh McDaniels (thanks for everything Josh and good luck in the Motor City) as ex-Pat Bob Quinn cleans house after a 4-12-0 last place finish in the NFC North in 2016.
Perhaps it’s just that I’m so looking forward to Brady’s return. I’ve already outlined my dream scenario, where Tom Terrific obliterates every single-game record for passing in Cleveland. 8 TD passes. 600 yards. 49 of 50. 0 interceptions. Over the final twelve games of the regular season, I’d like to see Belichick and Brady make it look like they were taking it easy back in 2007.
That would be another double middle finger to Roger Goodell and the rest of the NFL.
That’s what this season is all about and it was Goodell and the Other 31 owners that made it that way.
There is only one answer to the insanity of Deflategate and that’s the ultimate double middle finger; a win in SB51.
Karma’s a bitch, bitches.
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