Thursday Morning Third Down Back

The New England Patriots play Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium (♩ ♪ If EverBank could ever be this real forever... If EverBank could ever be this good again ♩ ♪) on Sunday September 27th at 1:00 PM. However fast you think TreVeyon Henderson is, he's faster. So... where are we after two weeks? Admittedly it's a small sample size. Looks like a solid defense and a, oh let's be generous and call it a *ahem* questionable offense so far. Self scouting - how were my "Three Things" picks from last week? Significantly better! I'll give myself a B+. Back to the Future Part II Power Rankings (for actors other than Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox): 1) Elisabeth Shue. She should be in more things. 2) Tom Wilson. (Dude is legit hilarious in these movies.) 3) Lea Thompson. 4) Holy crap, is that Billy Zane? 5) Holy crap, is that Elijah Wood? Bonus item: Wesley Mann ("I think he took his wallet!") Three Things I'm Irrational...

The New England Patriots play the corpse of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette on Sunday September 20th at 1:00 PM. Ahhh... yes. Football. On a Sunday. Much better. Oh Romeo... That Seattle defense is just brutal. Going to be having nightmares about them for a while. But also... we didn't do ourselves any favors down the stretch. Self scouting - how were my "Three Things" picks from last week? A.J. Brown got hurt early in the game. Romeo Doubs dropped a crucial ball late that hit him right in the hands that would have had a major impact on the game. And Lomu didn't play at all on offense. So... I'll give myself an F + for Week 1. Over the Garden Wall Power Rankings 1) Gregory (...and that's a rock fact!) 2) Gregory's Frog (man, that frog can sing...) 3) Beatrice 4) Wirt 5) Fred The Horse Were there any positives from week 1? Here are three things I liked. 1) Christian Gonzalez, CB - They extended him! (Belichick would have traded him for...

The New England Patriots play Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field ( What kind of Severance ass name is that? ) Wednesday, September 9th at 8:20 PM. Seriously, NFL? You're killing me with these non-Sunday weeknight games. It's kinda amazing how this guy resurected his career once he got the stink of the Jets off him. Normally, I'd be more upset about a loss in the Super Bowl than I was last year. However, this team overacheieved by just about ever metric last season and they lost to a superior Seattle team. The Vrabel / Maye Patriots "arrived" about two seasons ahead of schedule. Also, I no longer have to watch Mac Jones put his whole body into a MAXIMUM EFFORT throw only for the ball to float eight yards. So... it's hard to complain. The Odyssey Power Rankings 1) Penelope 2) Antinous 3) The Horse 4) Circe 5) Eumaeus 6) Sinon 7) Eurylochus Honorable mention - the soundtrack. Here are three new players I'll have my eyes on Wednesday night. 1...

A cold New England February morning. The drive up ATM refuses to accept my cash deposit. I park my car and walk inside to see the teller. It is nice and warm inside. The Teller gives me a nod to come forward. Me: I'd like to make a deposit. Also, why are you wearing a Jets jersey? Teller: It's a Sam Darnold Jersey. I'm not a Seahawks fan. But I don't want to see the Patriots win another one. Me: Ahhh. Well, I guess being a Jets fan is its own punishment. (We both laugh. I walk away with my head held high.) Next Customer Who Didn't Hear our Conversation: Why are you wearing a Jets jersey? ***** crock pot teriyaki wings 3 pounds chicken wings 1 large onion, chopped 1 c brown sugar 1 c soy sauce 1/4 c cooking sherry 2 t ginger 2 cloves garlic - rinse and pat dry wings - broil wings 20 minutes on broiler pan (10 minutes per side) - transfer wings to crock pot - combine ingredients, pour over wings - cover and cook 2 - 3 hours on high (or 5 - 6 hours on low) Enjoy!

The New England Patriots play Bo Nix Jarrett Stidham and the Denver Broncos in the Tom Brady Memorial AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday January 25th at 3:00 PM. Big hugs! To say the Patriots have exceeded expectations so far this season is an enormous understatement. As recently as a year ago I remember wondering if they'd ever host a home playoff game again. Having said that, now that you're this close and playing the other team's backup quarterback in the AFC Championship Game, go out and get it. Also, Mike Vrabel now the longest tenured coach in the AFC East. I kid you not. Odyssey Power Rankings: 1) 2001: A Space _____ 2) The _____ (Homer) 3) Honda  _____ Here are three things I'm a little concerned about this week: 1) Drake Maye - He's been fantastic this season. A+. We couldn't have asked for more in his second year. A pleasure just to watch. Having said that, please hold on to that football, Drake Maye 2) Playing in Denver - tr...