Ahead of Schedule

The 2014 schedule has been released, which was followed closely by pigskin pundits and bobbleheads projecting wins and losses. This despite the fact the draft still awaits, not to mention the inevitable season-ending training camp injury that will hit three or four teams. It’s silly, of course but yeah, here comes my prediction for the Patriots.

Risk and Reward

We’ve reached that point in the pre-draft process where all we hear about is flaws, real or perceived; when the #1 overall pick becomes a hot potato. You can almost smell the fear and understandably so. Blowing a Top 10 pick can haunt a franchise for years, not to mention costing the GM and Head Coach (and his assistants) their jobs. Trade down? Trade down.

I'm Feeling Pretty Good About This

As Paul Simon once sang, “When something goes right, well it’s likely to lose me. It’s apt to confuse me. It’s such an unusual sight.” It’s also statistically unlikely but what if everything does go right for the Patriots in 2014?

Mockity Mock 1.0

Now that free agency is running down to hearing Will Smith was in for a visit and thinking, “Meh. I wanted Jared Allen. Whatever.” It’s time to focus our obsessive pigskin energy with laser-like focus on the draft. (It’s a month away!) At some point, we’ll be reminded that Tom Brady was taken in the 6^th round with pick #199. But what exactly is the lesson there? Is it that you can find hall of famers in the 6^th round? Or is it that Tom Brady is the ultimate outlier and anyone counting on a HOF talent that late in the draft is simply deluding themselves?

It’s the latter, right?

Everybody Pat Chung Tonight

Patrick Chung’s return has been greeted by equal parts wishful thinking and desultory indifference. The optimistic view is that with Devin McCourty at free safety and the Pats playing Cover 1, Chung will be more effective playing in the box. Chung can pick up some of the slack from Brandon Spikes departure and with Jamie Collins able to cover tight ends, Chung could add to the pass rush with a well-timed blitz. Or Chung is just a camp body who will be lucky to make the final 53.

The Manzielian Candidate

If there’s an upside to being seen as a devious underhanded cold calculating imp of Satan it’s that over time, your competitors see you as even more devious and underhanded and cold and calculating an imp of Satan than you actually are. Your every move is viewed with suspicion, deconstructed and analyzed, scrutinized. Feared.

Putting the Band Back Together

Cooler heads don’t always prevail. Thankfully, this time they did. Big Vince will be back in 2014.