Skip to main content

Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 1

The New England Patriots play Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sunday September 13th at 1:00 PM.

At least they're not playing in Miami in September. That always ends badly.

There was no preseason this year. So I have even more questions than I normally would at this time of year.

What will this season look like? Is there any chance there will actually be a 16 game season? 

Are the Patriots going to be a running team? Do they have anyone that can catch?

Will they sign a kicker by Sunday?

Will there be crowds?  Will the teams know when to play defense without the crowd shouting "DE-FENSE"? (I've watched enough Tampa Bay Rays games over the years to not be weirded out by empty stadiums.)


It'll be fun to find out.


Harry Power Rankings:

1) Potter

2) Belafonte

3) S. Truman

4) Prince 

5) Bailey

6) N'Keal 

7) Caray


Three things I'll be watching for on Sunday:

1) Cam Newton - I'm really, really hoping Cam has a bounce back year. And maybe somebody to throw to. That would be fun to watch.

2) Who's That Guy? The Guy that just made that play. What number was that? No really... Who is that? Who am I watching? Is that guy a rookie?

3) My beer intake. I've definitely found myself drinking more during quarantine. I can't be the only one. Understandable, sure. But probably not sustainable longterm. But... it's also tasty craft Fall beer time.

My prediction: Patriots 21, Dolphins 13

*****

Thursday Morning Third Down Back is proud to present Monster Movies with Coach Fake Bill.



Our Monster Movie of the Week is Godzilla (1954).

Still pretty great if you haven't watched it recently.

Watch Godzilla as he sheds blockers and gets into the backfield here. Great burst off the line. Not unlike a young Richard Seymour.

You love to have that kind of talent and raw physical ability on your team. It's a shame they couldn't have surrounded Godzilla with better players around him early on. By his later years, he had trouble with the double team.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Five Things to Watch This Week - Week 1 (Game 1)

The Patriots play their first regular season game at LP Field against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday September 9th at 1:00 PM. So... Um... Yeah.  Let's not get too hung up on how last season ended... It's a new year.  Like Coach Belichick says... We're focusing on next week.  We're moving on. It's also an election year.  Republican or Democrat...  Liberal or Conservative...  Let's not lose sight of the one thing that unites us all...  That the Jets are horrible. Gronk seems to be enjoying the benefits of being famous. Let's dive right in! The Patriots signed both Gronkowski AND Hernandez to long term deals ( ed. note - phew ) in the off-season.   They also added extra Tight Ends Jake Ballard, Daniel Fells, Michael Hoomanawanui and Visanthe Shiancoe. At this rate, we'll soon be fielding the NFL's first ALL TIGHT END OFFENSE!  (It's the logical next step in the evolution of the game...) Josh McDaniels - Welcome back!  You...

Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 13

The defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots play Tyrod Taylor Nathan Peterman Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York on Sunday December 3rd at 1:00 PM. Western New Yorkers on the 219 to New Era Field Wise Power Rankings: 1) Penny 2) Ray 3) Deatrich Jr 4) Guys 5) Potato Chips I'll say it...  I did not particularly care for the way the Dolphins played defense last week.  Bunch of cheap shot artists. Here's three thoughts I had about last Sunday: 1) Nate Ebner - Great effort on the fake punt... and now he's done for the year.  Rat farts. 2) Trey Flowers - Probably having the best year of anyone on the defensive line. 3) Stephon Gilmore - I still think Butler is a better corner, but Gilmore has looked less awful out there as of late. My prediction: Pats 24, Bills 16 ***** This week we have Lord Humungus filling for Fake Bill Belichick. WELCOME TO THE WASTELAND OF WESTERN NEW YORK....