Great Pigskin Expectations

The New England Patriots haven't won a playoff game in three years and Robert Kraft isn't having it.

Three years!

And yes, this is Exhibit A in the case for why other football fans hate the Patriots, hate Patriots fans, and hate clam chowder, lighthouses, the musical 'Wicked' (it's not about Boston but you think it is), blueberries, and Mark Wahlburger. 

Yes. Patriots fans are whiny little bitches, entitled, egomaniacal shit pockets. For twenty years, we were all about watching Tom Brady, ten minutes into the 4th period with a 24-point lead, dropping a dime to Edelman in the end zone. And we miss that. And you would, too, if you weren't a Jets fan and that was something you could actually miss.

Mr. Kraft also noted that after last year's drunken Bill Belichick's spending spree on free agents, this year - and ending that 3-year playoff drought - would be all about the annual crapshoot known as the NFL draft. 

Okay. The Patriots did pretty well in the 2021 draft (Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson) and while past performance is no indication of future outcomes, hitting on three picks in 2022 could happen. Which has gotten me thinking about the…

Top 10 Things That Need to Go Right for the 2022 Patriots

#1 - Second Year Leap for Mac Jones

We don't need to belabor the obvious, do we?

#2 - Nelson Agholor and Jonnu Smith have Career Years

For Mac to fill up the stat sheet, he's going to need Agholor and Smith to ball out. Think of it as a kind of second year leap for these 2021 free agents. Agholor is still fast and Smith provided glimpses of the Swiss Army Knife he can be last year. If they can produce on a consistent basis in 2022, it will make missing out on a top WR prospect in the draft a lot easier to take.

#3 - The Other Guys from the 2021 Draft can play

DE Ronnie Perkins, LB Cameron McGrone and S Joshuah Bledsoe were redshirt rookies in 2021. They could help the Patriots defense get younger and faster If they can contribute in 2022, though I'm counting on Perkins and McGrone a lot more than Bledsoe, given the recent Jabrill Peppers signing.

#4 - The Pats hit on at least 3 starters/contributors in the 2022 Draft

We won't know till we know. 

#5 - New England figures out the O-Line

Would I draft a guard with the #21 pick? Yes. The answer is yes.

#6 - Second Year Leap for Barmore and Stevenson

Barmore had me calling back to Richard Seymour in 2021 so the bar has been set pretty high, but the young D-lineman has all the makings of a game-wrecker and could break out with a Pro Bowl performance in 2022.

Stevenson and Damien Harris could be the best 1-2 RB punch in the NFL. Yeah. I said it.

#7 - Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers Stay Healthy

I know the consensus among pigskin pundits and bobbleheads is that the Patriots need to add talent at the WR position. I know everyone is freaking out about Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill in Miami. 

Bourne and Meyers may not be in the same conversation as Waddle and Hill but I can't help feeling they're a great fit for a Patriots offense with Mac Jones at QB. I'd be happy with their 2021 numbers in 2022 (caveat: assuming Agholor and Smith both step up), though I do think Bourne might also be a candidate for a second year bump in production.

#8 - More Pistol/RPO Action in 2022

Just search for Mac Jones' Alabama highlights on YouTube.

#9 - James White is Full Go

Missed him big time in 2021. With Brandon Bolden gone, the Pats need White's hip to be 100%.

#10 - The Bill Belichick/Malcolm Butler Reunion is the Feel Good Story of 2022

It could happen.