Reasons To Believe

A Patriots regular season unlike most Patriots regular seasons is in the books and now that it's over it seems, well, a little more familiar than we had any reason to expect just two weeks ago. AFC East champs. First round playoff bye…

So, you're telling me there's a chance?

Why Did It Have To Be The Jets?

To paraphrase Indiana Jones: The Jets. Why did it have to be the Jets?

Buckle Up

The last two weeks have reminded me once again why the fans of the Other 31 hate Patriots fans.

Only a Pats fan could look at 9-5-0 and see Rock Bottom.

Admit it fellow Pats fans. Two weeks ago you were wondering what you were going to do on Super Bowl Sunday. Go see a movie with the wife and kids? Clean out the basement? Sit alone, weeping, in a darkened room?

Today? Your pigskin heroes are 10-5-0 and (thanks to a Texans' loss) back in the 2nd seed with a wildcard-round bye if they can win at home next Sunday against the Jets. You're chuckling inside at the longshot possibility the Patriots could still get the #1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs and renewing the long-term lease the Patriots hold in the heads of football fans west of the Connecticut River. That probably won't happen but as long as they beat the Jets, the Patriots will secure a playoff bye for the ninth season in a row.

That's right. Playing wild card weekend is rock bottom for Patriots fans.

Yeah. That's why they hate us.

Getting Better

The best thing about the Thursday night win? The Patriots haven't come close to touching their ceiling yet.

Quarters

If you're a Patriots fan, this was the best Monday of the season. This Monday was so good I carried it all the way into Tuesday. Big win to cleanse the pigskin palate following two tough, underseasoned losses. Edelman back from his 4-game suspension. Yeah, it's a short week but the Pats hold the advantage of hosting the Thursday night game. The Colts, on the other hand, are a team had to play into overtime on Sunday (extra wear and tear) and less time to prep (travel). Plus, we hates the Colts, for their role as Tartuffe in the Deflategate farce.

Testing Mettle

I've been staring at it all week. 1-2-0 vs. 3-0-0. There was something strange about it. Something that made me wonder, am I awake or dreaming? Had I slipped into an alternate universe? What did it mean? It was like every day this week was Monday and I was driving to work without any pants and when I got into the office only I seemed to realize something was wrong. I may be older and I was never Brad Pitt but I'd still like people to notice when I'm not wearing pants.

When Nothing Makes Sense

The Patriots are doomed.

Bill The Redeemer

As the song goes, some people got real problems...

Questions Will Be Answered

No drama? Nice try, Tom, but these are the Patriots. The Real Footballers of Foxborough. The Kardashians if the Kardashians were talented. The Belichick Rules. Pigskin pundits and bobbleheads be like "when in doubt, write or talk about the Patriots even if you're writing or talking about how much people write or talk about the Patriots."

Trust me.

There will be drama.

The narratives have already started…

The Roller Coaster Ride Called August

Whenever some waggish pigskin pundit or bobblehead wants to make a point about the preseason, they'll remind you the Detroit Lions went 4-0-0 in the preseason of the year they went 0-16-0 when the games actually counted. While this anecdotal evidence is historically accurate, it is clearly just that - anecdotal. And really, pigskin pundits and bobbleheads, you're just saying that to make fun of the Detroit Lions again, aren't you?

Cliff Diving

Look out! Be careful!

There's a cliff around here somewhere and

The trolls below must get their fill.

Philly Cheese

I get it, Eagles fans. The last time your team won the NFL championship was… 1960?

Wow. That's a long time ago. So. Lots of pent up "thank God without seeing the Eagles win a championship!" kind of energy. I understand. You've got to let that wild piglet chi out and let it run shirtless through the arc lit night of your deep subconscious.

I think I remember how you feel…

Into The Mythic

Once upon a time, Bill Belichick buried a football.

In yesterday's practice, Tom Brady punted a football into the crowd.

We're all subject to the objective correlative.

Way Too Early To Tell Anything

Sometimes we glimpse the future. Sometimes all we see is a moment about to become history. Maybe it's one and the same. Could Ralph Webb be Dion Lewis 2.0? Only in the sense that he might get claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns when the Patriots try to slip Webb through to the practice squad.

I do think Kyle Van Noy was right when he said the Patriots defense would surprise people. I know I was surprised. We all thought they were going to be better than that, didn't we?

Maybe there's nothing to be learned from the preseason other than who your swing tackle is going to be.

I sure hope so.

Best Case Scenario

The draft is done but Bill Belichick isn't. The roster never sleeps. There isn't easier money than betting that there's a player not currently on New England's 90-man roster who will be making a play for the Patriots in October or November. Belichick and Nick Caserio have ranked the Pats roster 1 through 90 and they are actively looking for someone better than their 90th best player right now.

Get Ready To Do Your Job

At some point you find yourself watching the highlight reel of a 7th round tight end and you're thinking, hey, this guy is pretty good. Then you check out his stats and realize you just saw every reception he made his senior season. In a minute and 30 seconds.

Now It's A Party

Like Chuck Norris, Bill Belichick doesn't sleep.

He waits.

That's How The Movie Starts

Jimmy was having a bad day.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

They've been to 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls. That's pretty good. So why do I think massive changes will be coming to the New England Patriots in 2018?

Because they always are, it seems. And because... well, you know.

Everything is Obvious After the Fact

I recently saw Neil deGrasse Tyson on television talking about the multiverse. According to Tyson, there's a universe where the Patriots won Super Bowl LII.

So, how do I get there?

History In The Making

History is happening all the time, I guess. In the moment, it's hard to know exactly the difference between history and History. What I mean is, who was the second best playwright when William Shakespeare was writing Hamlet, Lear, MacBeth? There must've been other playwrights and theater companies working during that same time. So, who you got in Willie Shakesberg's rear view? Nobody. That's who. It was like 500 years ago. There's Shakespeare and that's the list. That's the difference between history and History.

If the Eagles win Super Bowl 52, if they're remembered 500 years from now, it will because of who they beat; the Patriots of Belichick and Brady.

That's right, Philadelphia Eagles. You aren't the lead in this play. That would be the New England Patriots. Maybe the prince dies. Maybe Fortinbras becomes king. But the name of the play is Hamlet, not Fortinbras. Also, I'm not so sure you're Fortinbras; I think the Eagles might actually be Rosencrantz. Or Guildenstern. One of those guys.

Can't Wrap My Brain Around This

So, Gronk wouldn't be ready to go if the Super Bowl was this Sunday.

Neither would I.

Goating Around

I love small data samples. Let's take Tom Brady's 4th quarter in the AFC Championship Game.

9 of 12 for 138 yards and 2 TDs. Against the best pass defense in the NFL. Wait, what? I've seen this movie before, haven't I?

The Right Thumb of God

So, yeah. I'm going to put a positive spin on the Tom Brady's Thumb narrative. Shocking, I know. And here goes...

We'll see Tom Brady this Sunday and he'll be doing Tom Brady things.

The Lion in Winter

That Jimmy Garoppolo trade didn't look like such a big deal Saturday night.

What? Me Worry?

Gronk is healthy. Tommy is pissed. The defense is playing rope-a-dope with opposing offenses like Ali in his prime. This Saturday night they'll be playing a team that has no business being there.

That's what has me worried.

Once upon a time, that team that had no business being there was the New England Patriots.

Everything Ends

I find it interesting that the Seth Wickersham's Patriots expose was dropped on a Friday by ESPN. Friday is the traditional "news dump" day, when stories the publisher hopes will go away are released. It's almost like ESPN didn't really want to talk about it themselves.