The Beginning of the Middle of the End

The narratives are already out there; they’re just waiting to be written.

Each NFL season is like a 19^th century Russian novel; 32 major characters with twice as many plot lines almost all of which will end tragically for everyone involved. Can the Seahawks repeat? Are Manning and Brady on a collision course for the AFC Championship? Can a guy whose last name is “Football” overcome the irony of his surname (and his lack of height) to lead a long-suffering franchise to something more than social media relevance? Those are big and important questions. And there’s more. So much more…

Everyone Wants a Few More Years

OMG Becky! Tom Brady didn’t practice today!

Counting the Days

The Patriots released the shortest injury report in recent memory on Wednesday. Just four players were listed and none of them was named Dominique Easley, Aaron Dobson, Jerod Mayo or Vince Wilfork.

Yes, one of them was named Rob Gronkowski.

Taking a Ride on the Flying Spoon

Well, Rob Gronkowski and Bill Belichick appear to be in mid-season form already.

54-63

The Patriots added two young defensive tackles and subtracted a quarterback and yet another linebacker from their 53-man roster. All of their cuts have cleared waivers but they’ve added back just Ja’Gared Davis and Jonas Gray, along with QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson to the practice squad. There’s still no full time long-snapper on the roster.

What does it all mean?

53 for Now

Random thoughts as the Patriots prepare to fill out their practice squad and figure out whether or not to sign a long-snapper or cut their punter and place-kicker.

The First Configuration

The dust won’t settle for a few days. New England will get down to the 53-man roster by 4:00pm but there will be more to come in the next few days. The Patriots aren’t the only team making difficult decisions about the end of the roster.