Archives for February 2019

Pats Posits: Ramblings From a Sixth Super Bowl Afterglow

February 4, 2019 by Mike Dussault

Today for us is what NFL fans all hope to one day live. That one Monday where you just won the Super Bowl, exhausted and emotionally spent but for just a moment all is right in our football universe.

As Patriots fans we’ve gotten more than our fair share and every single one is just as delightful as the first.

There’s no more “we’ll see” or “yeah, but”, all the criticism that we’ve heard over the past year has been silenced. Sony Michel was worth a first round pick. Julian Edelman is still clutch and uncoverable. The defense was one of the best they’ve ever had. Gronk fought through injuries and came through when it counted most. Tom Brady was still Tom Brady.

But most importantly, the Patriots are still the Patriots. Oh yes they are.

Now they’ve got six rings, enough to answer any lame attempt aimed at minimizing how impressive this dynasty has been, the whip cream and cherries just keep getting piled on top of each other of this dynastic sundae.

The losses to the Giants and last year’s to the Eagles? Distant memories that barely move the needle. All are now chapters in a rollercoaster tale of NFL domination that has lasted almost two decades. And what a rollercoaster it has been.

Slowly I’m wrapping my head around what this sixth Super Bowl means on so many levels. All I can do is bang out a bunch of Posits as my mind skips around all things Patriots dynasty.

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Patriots Beat Rams for Sixth Super Bowl Title

February 3, 2019 by Mike Dussault

Nobody predicted Super Bowl 53 would be a defensive struggle but that’s what we got. For some, the game might’ve been boring. To someone who loves a defensive chess match, it was riveting and tense. You knew just one or two plays would make the game. Luckily the Pats made them and earned the win.

It’s hard to wrap my head around it all. I remember how satisfying 49 was after falling short for a decade. Now, after an impossible comeback overtime win in 51, the Pats have won three of the last five Super Bowls.

After a pointless debate of his Hall of Fame worthiness last week, Julian Edelman won MVP and pretty much cemented his HOF status. The Pats offense flamed out twice (INT, missed FG) and sputtered for most of the middle of the game. But it was Edelman who was always getting open, moving the chains. He also chipped in with a 13-yard catch on the only touchdown scoring drive.

Tom Brady moves to 6-3 in Super Bowls. It wasn’t his greatest Super Bowl performance, but I’m sure he’d take the 262 yards and an interception in a win over the 500 yards and three touchdowns in a loss.

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Patriots Gameplan: Super Bowl 53 vs. Los Angeles Rams

February 1, 2019 by Mike Dussault

It’s hard to believe we’re back once again in the Super Bowl. That this Patriots Dynasty thing is still going strong. I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to wrap my head around it, but for now, I’m just trying to savor every moment.

I took a look back at my Seahawks, Falcons and Eagles Super Bowl gameplans and there is plenty to glean from those and how the games ultimately unfolded. The Patriots’ slow starts, the miraculous plays on both sides and that final key clutch play needed to win it.

It’s hard to really boil things down to their simplest elements needed to win this kind of game. That’s what Bill Belichick excels at, finding just a handful of points to focus on and often when they get out I’m excited to see that I wasn’t too far off with these gameplans I’ve been writing as a permanent feature of the blog since 2014.

How do the Rams stack up to the three most recent Super Bowl matchups? They certainly have an exciting young coach and a collection of new and old talented players needed to win the game. We search for common threads in the Patriots’ Super Bowls, but it has always just boiled down to the final few plays in the final five minutes that decide who wins.

They were down 10 points in the fourth quarter to the Seahawks. They were down 28-3 to the Falcons in the third quarter. They were a fourth down stop away from beating the Eagles last year. What’s clear is these games are a seesaw and the Patriots excel at staying the course no matter how bleak it looks.

With two weeks of buildup there’s been plenty of dissection going on and now it’s time to jump in with my gameplan! Let’s Go!