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Three Things to Watch This Week - Week 1

The New England Patriots play Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sunday September 10th at 4:25 PM.

With the Dolphins, Bills and even the (gulp) Jets all trending upward, and the Patriots shopping for offensive linemen at the TJ Maxx close out rack, this could be a very long season. In five short years, we've gone from "Can we just skip ahead to the AFC Championship Game already?" to "Boy, it sure would be swell to win a playoff game again someday!" Based on what I saw in the preseason, I think we're looking at an above average defense and a below average offense. This is maybe a 6 and 11 team.  I have no idea how I'm going to get through this year. I knew the post-Brady transition was going to be hard... But I just didn't think it would be managed this poorly. As such, we'll be slowly transitioning this little weekly fan newsletter into a support group. 

Just a quick reminder of what last season looked like.

Gene power rankings:

1) Wilder
2) Rayburn
3) Hackman
4) Belcher
5) Gene the Dancing Machine
6) Roddenberry
7) Siskel
8) -eration X
9) Tierney
10) -eneral Hospital 

Three things I'm talking myself into getting excited about this season:

1) Maybe the offense will be slightly better under Billy O than Matty P! Can't be worse, right?

2) Kendrick Bourne - I expect more out of Bourne this season, especially now he's not openly feuding with the offensive coordinator.

3) New kickers! We'll be watching both a new punter (Bryce Baringer - not a member of The National) AND a new place kicker (Chad Ryland) this season.  This feels like an awful lot of trust to be placing in young players - possibly the biggest hint that Belichick thinks this is not a playoff year.


2010s Jam of the Week

The War On Drugs - Holding On


My prediction: Eagles 37, Patriots 17

*****

This week we have Fake Morrissey giving us his 2023 Patriots season preview.


The rain falls hard on a humdrum team

This team has dragged me down

Oh, the rain falls hard on a humdrum team

History has dragged us down

Oh no, and everybody's got to live their life

And God knows I've got to live mine

God knows I've got to live mine

William, William, last year's team was... really nothing

William, William Stephen Belichick, it was really not something I enjoyed watching

William, William, ooooh-oh-oooooooooh


(to the tune of "William, It Was Really Nothing", with apologies to The Smiths)

*****

Now accepting mailbag questions.

Additional ebooks by P. Canole available here:

https://pcanole.blogspot.com/

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