PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

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The new holy grail of Patriots schwag: vintage snapback hat

There was a time not too long ago when the holy grail of Patriots schwag was a blue satin starter jacket from the 80s. Well I conquered that one via ebay for a steal of $12, now this vintage 80s snapback is the new object of my schwag desires.

This hat harkens back to the days of Raymond Berry, Steve Grogan and Craig James, when I first became a Patriots fan. The only problem is that those who have these hats know their value and you’re going to pay anywhere from $80to even $199 on ebay or other online stores to score one.

But the thing about ebay is, if you know what you want, be patient, be diligent and it will fall into your hands. I expect to make one of these beauties my 2011 hat. Watch me make it happen. For under $30. I promise you.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-new-holy-grail-of-patriots-schwag-vintage/

On Belichick’s rebuild of the Patriots defense

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Looking at the 2010 New England Patriots through a historical prism would show a team that performed how you would think a young team with an elite quarterback would perform. Brady helped them overcome a lot of deficiencies, but with such a talented young roster, that will only be infused with more young talent in a few weeks, it’s clear that things are heading up.

The Patriots will probably not top their fourteen regular season wins of 2010 in 2011, but you can bet that they will be a better team considering the progression and experience of their younger players along with the return of their injured ones.

Sure, there are needs, but they have enough ammo to fill them with talented high-round picks. The Patriots first dynasty was built on a veteran defense that played clutch in the post-season and a second dynasty defense is slowly being assembled before our eyes. It hasn’t been without it’s trials, especially the last two seasons in the playoffs. As the young D learned against the Jets in January, playing clutch in the regular season is one thing, but in the playoffs it’s something else entirely.

In a lot of ways I find the story of building a defense from the ground up more interesting that hanging on and trying to squeeze one last championship out with an aging crew.

We’re witnessing something that I don’t think has ever happened before in NFL history. A Hall of Fame head coach hand picking an entirely new defense, for a system that is established and proven.

NFL head coaches just don’t get that kind of longevity, and they especially don’t have the level of control and oversight that BB has with the Patriots. Given what we know about BB I’d say it’s pretty obvious that he relishes the challenge, and the chance to construct a unit that is entirely of his own design.

To use Bill Parcells’ analogy it’s like a master chef finally getting to choose every single last ingredient. Sure, BB had total control in the past, but many of the ingredients were inherited. Now it’s his turn to pick each one, to create a masterpiece that will be years in the making.

There have been a lot of special things that Patriots fans have witnessed, the construction of BB D 2.0 is an unheralded one that we are right in the midst of and another major chapter will be added in just 22 days.

Getting an OLB like this guy would certainly help matters…

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It’s clear that some teams with a first-round running-back interest – Miami, New England, New Orleans, Seattle – are studying both players hard, and it could come down to whether they trust that Ingram’s knee won’t give him trouble for the next few seasons.

“The question is whether you think Ingram’s toughness and physicality sets him apart from Leshoure,” one coach said at the league meetings last month. “I’ve seen a lot of Leshoure being physical himself, and he [Leshoure] is faster to the corner. I think he’s going to have a very good career.”

Peter King

(The Pats have first round runningback interest?)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/its-clear-that-some-teams-with-a-first-round/

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It’s obvious that’s the Patriots/Bilichick front office formula is starting to take root in the league and is spreading quickly. Eventually, these teams will have to start spending to keep their top players. That is the price a team should pay for drafting well. But if they keep drafting well and developing players they still wont necessarily have to be in the top 5 each and every year in cash expenditures. It also points to Nick Casario, Director of Player Personnel for the Patriots, and Les Snead of the Falcons being high on owners’ GM short list.

The bottom line is that; intangible management methods that produce effective scouting and coaching staffs reign supreme in building a winning organization. Owners who are willing to let go of the mom and pop attitude and hire good football people with a solid plan will be successful.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/its-obvious-thats-the-patriotsbilichick-front/

Sports Illustrated: Fan poll on the lockout

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In this week’s Sports Illustrated they polled NFL fans to find their opinions on the current labor dispute. Here are some interesting numbers:

Nearly half of fans (44%) say they would have less future interest in the NFL after a delayed or canceled season.

In my opinion the NFL is highly underrating the effect that any missed games would have for their fan base. They just assume that the fans will come back in full force as soon as the game comes back.

But let me use the NHL lockout of 2004 as an example. I was as big of a hockey fan as anyone prior to that lockout, but afterwards I totally lost track of the sport. And it wasn’t even on purpose really. I just lost interest, found other things to do, and developed an insane obsession for football.

The owners and players should really be aware that they’re going to lose fans. They probably already have.

With a disrupted NFL season, NCAA football would gain prominence getting more attention from 57.3 percent of NFL fans.

Go Cal Bears! Yeah I have done like zero Bears research since declaring my fanship for them last week. I’m trying people, but it’s not easy to force yourself into being a fan of a random team that you have no true connection to…

Fans would also spend more time surfing the internet (56.1%), with significant others (45.1%), doing yard work chores (43.6%), playing video games (33.5%) and at church (13%). 

So it looks like God would have to be on the lockout’s side? Family members too, especially wives who want to see the front yard get mulched.

What would fans miss most if the season is disrupted? 41.8 percent of fans said watching with friends and family and 40.7 percent said following a team. Only 5.2 percent of fans said fantasy football is what they’ll most miss and only 1.3 percent said betting on games.

I found this kind of interesting because I’ve often said that the pregame/buildup to watching football is the best part. Especially when your team loses. But it looks like most fans tend to be on that side of the fence, just a little more than the actual following of the team. If you asked me I’d probably break about 51% for the experience that goes with watching games, 49% for actually following the team. I don’t give a crap about fantasy football or gambling.