Skip to main content

Five Things to Watch This Week - Week 1

The Patriots play their first game of the year at The Ralph against the Buffalo Bills of Western New York and the Greater Toronto Area on Sunday September 8th at 1:00 PM.

Another off-season is in the books.  Football is BACK!



I'm guessing this will be a bit of a down year for the Patriots.  Too much roster turnover on offense.  But, thankfully, for this team that means going 10 and 6.

The AFC East is just... bad.  Awful.  Rather terrible, even.  I don't see how they go less than 5 - 1 in the division.  Then it's just play .500 against the rest of the teams on the schedule.  Boom.  10 and 6.

I'm not even expecting good out of this defense.  I'd be happy with just average.


I have no idea who this is.
Nate Power Rankings:

1) Solder

2) Fisher 

3) Dogg  (What?  He's dead?  R.I.P., Nate Dogg)

4) Silver

5) the Great

6) Ebner

7) Robinson

The good news is we still have TB12.  And as long as you have Brady, you've got a chance.  But... Who is he throwing to?  And what do we know about them?  Does Tom even know their names yet?  How many nights did Tom cry himself to sleep when Welker signed with Denver?

Over / under on shots of Brady bitching out his receivers on the sideline this season:  131.5.

"What's your name again?  Great.  Don't ever run that route like that again or I'll have them cut you.  Now here... take a pair of Uggs."

Here's five new guys I'll be watching this week:

1) Danny Amendola - Could be a good fit with this team.  But even Julian Edelman thinks this guy is made of glass (Amendola has had ONE full 16 game season in his NFL career)

2) Josh Boyce - Was sneaky fast in the preseason.  Looks like he'll be the guy on the "have the WR run the ball" plays McDaniels loves to call.

3) Aaron Dobson - Oooh, he's 6' 3".  A tall wide receiver!  And he went to Marshall.  HE'll BE THE NEXT RANDY MOSS!

4) Zach Sudfeld - Had that one insane catch in the pre-season.  There is a very good chance I will inadvertently call him "Zach Sudafed" at some point this season.

5) Kenbrell Thompkins - Somebody has to catch passes from Brady.  Why not this guy?


Did Michael Hoomanawanui make the team again this year?

Yes!


My prediction: Pats 28, Bills 13

My prediction (Season): 10 - 6

*****

This year, we're going to have regular contributions from Fake Bill Belichick for your reading pleasure.  Here's this week's selection from Fake Bill Belichick's third book "My Life Away From Football":

Last year's loss in the AFC Championship game to the Ravens hit me pretty hard.  It took me three days to get out of bed.  Even if it seems like this stuff doesn't affect me... it does.

I sent text messages to Linda (ed. note: long time Belichick girlfriend Linda Holliday) and Josh (McDaniels, Patriots Offensive Coordinator)  saying I'd be done for a bit and not to worry about me. (I finally broke down and got a cell phone this year.  We'll see if I can figure it out.)  Then I just... wandered.  Like I did the year after I got canned in Cleveland. 

I put away the sweatshirt.  Didn't want anyone to recognize me.  Couldn't risk it.

And I went and did regular people stuff.  Went to the grocery store.  Ate out at restaurants.  Went to a concert or two.  Caught up with some shows on Netflix.  (Have you guys all seen "Breaking Bad"?  That's a quality program.  I especially like the guy that runs the restaurant with all the security cameras...)  Did some touristy stuff.  The beach.  You name it.  

I even tried selling real estate for a few days.  Didn't take.

But... I've got to be honest with you guys... It felt good to get away for a bit.  Cleared my head.

What did I learn while I was out on walk-about?  As much as I liked being a regular person for a bit, I eventually decided that, yes... I still loved the game and had a passion for this team.  I had to get back to football.  Gotta do what's best for the team.

I left McDaniels in charge of the roster during the offseason.  Anybody know who we drafted?  I should probably start learning the names of the new guys.

And who are playing this week?

Time to get the sweatshirt out of the closet.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 15

"Is there any of the good Scotch left?" the Rookie asked. "I wouldn't call it good  Scotch. But no. We finished that weeks ago," the Veteran responded. Outmanned and outgunned, they rode west across New York to the certain slaughter waiting for them at Orchard Park. The streets wide and flat, indifferent to their struggle. "Is the water safe to drink?" "Don't know. Try it and find out." General Mayo lacked the sense of direction his predecessor displayed. If there was dissension in the ranks, it didn't show. But there was also no lust for the battlefield. Going beyond what was required of one's duty. They just didn't have the spirit for it. His predecessor had been deposed because the vibes were off. And now he risked the same fate. "Is there anything to eat?" "There's an empty can of beans. You may lick what's left off the bottom of it if you like." The talent level of recruits was lacking, not up ...

Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 6

The 1 - 4 New England Patriots play C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday October 13th at 1:00 PM. They really should stop buttering the ball between plays. That Patriots - Dolphins game last week was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Let's never speak of it again. The Patriots have announced third overall pick Drake Maye as the starting quarterback this week. I feel like it's too soon. But it's not my job on the line. I'll be nice and cozy on the couch with snacks and beverages and a dog that will pick the absolute worst time to decide that he has to go out. Drake Power Rankings: 1) 's Cakes 2) (the duck)  3) (the singer from Canada) 4) Gilded 5) Maye Here are three things that could have been better in week 5: 1) Jacoby Brissett. Thank you for your contributions. I appreciate your effort. I'm not sure how you're still standing. 2) The play calling had me scratching my head on multiple occasions. 3) The whole WR position...

Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 1

The first place New England Patriots play the Oakland   Los Angeles   Oakland  Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette on Sunday September 7th at 1:00 PM. Patriot first round pick tackle Will Campbell. Douglas Power Rankings: 1) Adams 2) DeMario 3) Michael  4) The Lincoln–Douglas debates 5) Illeana  After back to back 4 - 13 seasons, you are allowed to feel a little skeptical about this team. What do we, as Patriots fans, have to look forward to in 2025? Returning:  Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf is somehow still here. Last year, the two wide receivers he drafted in 2024 combined for 13 catches. And one of them is no longer with the team. I'm against it. Coach Mike Vrabel. His career record as a coach is 56–48. This was seen as a significant upgrade over what we had in place. Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels. He's back! Again! Not returning: Coach Jerod Mayo. It was both a bad situation AND he didn't do a great job with it. That's ba...