Archives for June 22, 2018

As we settle into the void and mentally prepare for the coming Patriots campaign, it’s hard to be too reflective about the team without getting sucked into a meaningless direction. There’s just so much noise — the centerpieces of the Patriots current dynasty are in the middle of it all — Belichick, Brady, Gronk and Edelman are pretty much the only employees in Foxboro that get any attention these days and most of it is of the shit-stirring negative kind.

That leaves the great majority of the 2018 Patriots team somewhat in the dark. Coming off a Super Bowl loss is always so painful and strange. Yes, you had a great season and came within inches of the goal, but the ending was a painful car crash that easily overshadowed most of how impressive the 2017 team actually was.

When the Patriots experience the kind of injuries the 2017 team did, they usually fall short. 2005 they didn’t make it out of the divisional round, 2013 and 2015 they bowed out in Denver. Going toe-to-toe with Philly was more impressive and unlikely than most would give them credit for.

Is there any questions that Dont’a Hightower and Julian Edelman (cough, or Malcolm Butler) could’ve swung a third Super Bowl title in four years the Pats’ way? Thems the breaks when you’re in Patriots Nation at this stage.

The Patriots were the same old Patriots in 2017. There’s plenty of chatter about what was going on both in front and behind the scenes last season, but what we once again saw on the field right till the end was a resilient, tough football team that took a 60-minute perfect game to defeat.

There’s little reason to think that won’t once again be the case this year. The Patriots are healthy and have added a number of interesting free agents. All that adds to an influx of intrigue at a number of positions.

Here are five guys that I’ve been focusing on as I twiddle my thumbs counting down till training camp.

[Read more…] about Five Key Patriots For Third-Straight Super Bowl Trip