The Quarterback Non-Controversy

Maybe it’s just that everyone has been so jealous of Tom Brady for so long they’d like to believe he’s actually jealous of someone else.

I’m looking at you Jimmy G!

Perfect Sunday

No Gronk. No Nate Solder or Sebastian Vollmer. No Ninkovich. No Dion Lewis.

No Tom Brady.

On the road, playing a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

Hey, everybody’s got their problems. All anyone ever cares about is results.

New England 23, Arizona 21.

W.

This was the game they were supposed to lose. Even with Brady this was supposed to be a tough game to win. The most optimistic of Jimmy G boosters conceded a 3-1-0 record would be pretty much the best case scenario. All of us felt a 2-2-0 start would be good enough, especially if those two wins were against Miami and Buffalo.

Now?

Now we’re on to Miami.

Sunday Morning Randomizer

Karma’s a bitch but I can’t help myself. I’ll be rooting for the Ravens, Bengals and Seahawks today. Okay. Not really. I’ll be rooting against the Bills, Jets and Dolphins. Looking at those matchups, it feels like all of those dominoes could fall in my favor. Not that I trust the Ravens and Joe Flacco. Or the Bengals and Marvin Lewis. It would be a shock for the Dolphins to fly across the country and beat the Seahawks in Seattle. That couldn’t happen, right?

If things go my way, the worst case scenario would be the Patriots flying out of Phoenix tied for 1st place in the AFC East.

Gronkless in Phoenix

How much did the betting line move when it was learned that Rob Gronkowski didn’t make the flight out to Arizona? Six points? No Gronk, no Nate Solder and of course, no Dion Lewis, Rob Ninkovich or Tom Brady.

But these are the Patriots. They eat adversity like cold pizza for breakfast.

Take the points.

Always One More Shoe

The final 53 is set. For now.

With the benefit of a good night’s sleep…

Bubbling

The fourth preseason game is always a hot, steaming mess. And not just because of the late summer humidity. Starters make a cameo if they play at all and after that mere chaos reigns. Or should I say mere weirdness? Taking his last reps before October (for reasons that pass all understanding), Tom Brady played the entire first half while Jimmy Garoppolo remained on the sideline, encased in bubblewrap.

Regardless, the Patriots and every other NFL team will need to cut 22 players to get down to the final 53 by end of business on Saturday.

It’s a tough game, and not just on the field.

Making Way Too Much Out Of Nothing At All

Preseason, even the infamous “dress rehearsal” 3rd preseason game, is fraught with equal parts unreasoning elation and unfounded doom. We can make way too much of a single series, even a single play and yet, the siren call of the hot take is simply impossible to resist.

So, I’m just going to roll with it…