I found myself entertaining the notion that the 2022 New England Patriots might just be… good.
Or perhaps in the spirit of the 2001 New England Patriots: good enough.
And no, Bailey Zappe is not Tom Brady 2.0.
And yes, that was definitely a reverse jinx.
So, given this sudden burst of optimism, let's dispense with the inconvenient realities right away, tedious though they may be…
The Patriots currently sit in last place in the AFC East, a division that features arguably the best team in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills, which features the best defense in the NFL and the "it's his trophy to lose" MVP candidate, Josh Allen. The Patriots are looking up at a New York Jets team that managed to do what the Patriots could not; travel to Lambeau Field and beat the Packers and their Asgardian QB, Aaron Rodgers. The Patriots are joined in the AFC East basement by the Miami Dolphins, a team that appears to only be capable of beating one team, and unfortunately, that one team is the New England Patriots.
Hard to get into the playoffs when you can't get out of your own division.
That's kind of a lot but I'm not going to let myself harsh my own buzz here.
No, I'm feeling…
Good Feelings About the 2022 New England Patriots
I get the feeling (a good feeling) that Bill Belichick actually prefers being the underdog. At the very least, being underestimated. I suppose it goes without saying there are obvious tactical advantages in that, but yes, I said it anyway. The mystique of Darth Hoodie works against him, of course. Do other teams ever take the Patriots lightly? I'd give that one a hard no. It's really the other team's overconfidence (justifiable as that may be, given the above notes on the AFC East) that Belichick can use to the Patriots advantage.
Not a lot of All Pros on the Patriots but the roster is deep with smart, talented football players. That gives New England matchup flexibility with their gameday roster, and insulates the team from season-derailing injuries.
(Sometimes the obvious is worth repeating.)
I get that certain players have disappointed fans but think of it this way…
If Marcus Cannon supplants Isaiah Wynn as starting right tackle, who has a better 3rd/swing tackle than the Patriots would have in Wynn?
Admit it. That one play changed your mind about Jonnu Smith, didn't it? No? Haters gonna hate.
You heard the rumors that teams are sniffing around for WR Kendrick Bourne and you just kind of shrugged, didn't you? You thought, "It looks like they were running the same plays for Tyquan Thornton in the Browns game that they ran for Bourne last year." (Okay, maybe that was just me; I have no idea what you were thinking.) But the Patriots don't have to part with Bourne or Nelson Agholor (also the subject of trade rumors). They can keep together the WR room of Bourne, Agholor, Thornton, DeVante Parker, and Jakobi Meyers (along with Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Kristian Wilkerson on the practice squad). Put another way: Aren't you glad the Patriots didn't feel like they had to sign DeSean Jackson?
Full Disclosure: When it comes to the Patriots nascent QB controversy, I'm just rooting for laundry. I don't care who the QB1 is, as long as he plays well and the Patriots win.
As noted in a previous posts, in looking at Mac Jones history, he's shown that he will compete for the job (his Alabama tenure has echoes to Tom Brady's Michigan years in that both were doubted early in their college careers but overcame adversity to earn the starting job and then led their teams to winning seasons in their senior year).
Also noted in a previous post, having two good QBs is a good problem to have.
If I was a betting man, I'd still have my money on McCorkle but I'll be Zappe, either way.
NOTE: This fulfills my contractual obligation to provide one Zappe/happy pun per post for as long as Bailey Zappe is starting.
The local pigskin pundits and bobbleheads have stopped gnawing on the ankle of offensive coordinator Matt Patricia for now, following the win over the Browns and the rather remarkable game from rookie QB Bailey Zappe.
Now, calling a run when everyone expects a pass, and calling a pass play when everyone expects a run hardly qualifies as genius, but Patricia did make those calls. And they did work.
That there were some growing pains for Patricia as a play caller was probably inevitable but let's not forget; the man is a rocket scientist. He was going to develop an algorithm, beta test it, make the necessary revisions, and put out a 1.1.6 release. Trust me. 2.0 is already in development. It's how rocket scientists think.
A swarming, gang-tackling, defense with veteran leadership and some young playmakers. A run-first offense that does just enough. Special teams that win the battle for field position, and a highly accurate kicker who can win the game on a last second field goal.
Am I talking about the 2001 Patriots?
Or the 2022 Patriots?
Clearly, Bill Belichick has a type.
Go Pats!
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