PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Mike Dussault

I couldn’t agree more about the next two games being HUGE. With everything that’s happened this year, is it me or is this Patriots team eerily similar to the scrappy, overachieving, can’t-ever-count-’em-out, world champion Red Sox?

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Feels like it right now after all these comebacks. But doing it in the regular season against the Browns and Texans is one thing. Doing it in the playoffs is something else entirely.

I still feel like we don’t know exactly who these Patriots are. Are they more the team we’ve seen in the first halves lately? Or more the team we’ve seen in the second halves?

I’m excited imagining they’re more the second half team, but if they’re closer to the first half team it will be hard to criticize them for it given what they’ve endured. 

Whose return next year in your opinion will be most important

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Wilfork. No question. They’ll have to rebuild the tight end position as a Gronk contingency plan. Vollmer and Mayo should be fine and back to form. Tommy Kelly would be a big plus as well.

All four together will really elevate this team. But Wilfork is the queen on Belichick’s chess board and if he’s back and as effective as he’s been, he’ll almost singlehandedly fix the run defense.

How excited about the 2014 Patriots should we be already, before the FA period and the draft? I’m feeling pretty good about the balance they’ll have on offense and defense next year.

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I tell you what I’m excited for, the next two games. They’re as big as non-playoff games come and really the Pats have a chance to do something extremely special. Both games will be huge challenges and really, winning one of them is probably the realistic expectation. But if they can win both, it will only cement how special this 2013 team really is.

As for 2014 though, there will be plenty to be excited about. Players coming back, young guys who got a lot of experience this year, and I’m sure some new faces as well.

But for now, we’re in the thick of it and I’m trying to savor it.

What do you think the game plan against the dolphins is going to be Sunday? I would like to see Boyce’s speed on the outside during some play action attempts

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Yeah I don’t know how much choice they have than to spread the Dolphins out and try to go fast. Ridley really sparked the Pats in the first game, having success when the starter Blount didn’t. Ridley’s hard runs really got them going and even opened things up for Blount, who had success later in the game.

But figure a lot of 12 personnel with Mulligan in as a blocker. The Dolphins didn’t have to deal with Vereen the first time, he’s a mismatch for them. And for all the talk about the Pats missing Gronk, his game against Miami the first time he didn’t make much of an impact.

I think Ridley-Mulligan-Edelman-Amendola-Thompkins (assuming he’s healthy) will be the primary offense.

New England Patriots game chance for Miami Dolphins to make statement | The MMQB with Peter King

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New England Patriots game chance for Miami Dolphins to make statement | The MMQB with Peter King

So true, but there have been plenty of games like this in recent memory. Games where the Pats’ opponent was supposed to rise up and prove they were for real, only to get once again dismantled by the Pats.

The timing seems perfect for the Dolphins, but will they seize the moment? It will take a full game of near-perfect football from them. Should make for a fantastic atmosphere and a great game between two teams looking to make a definitive statement about their season.