PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Product Review

‘The Dynasty’ – A must-read for all #Patriots fandom

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Firstly, we’d both like to thank Jeff Benedict and Simon & Schuster publishers for sending us copies of the book prior to its release. Spanning 25 years, this is a comprehensive 600-page book that tells the full story of the greatest and most controversial team in modern football.

The book itself gives a detailed account of the past 25 years from the main viewpoint of the owner, Robert Kraft.

As many exciting nuggets of information have begun to make headlines on social media, we’ve decided to each choose two of our favorite chapters from the book, explaining why we enjoyed them, and a brief look into each chapter.

Tom’s Picks

Chapter six – SOLD!

[Read more…] about ‘The Dynasty’ – A must-read for all #Patriots fandom

Book Review: Fridays With Bill

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We’re getting spoiled with Bill Belichick books this year! After Mike Lombardi’s fascinating look from inside the Patriots machine, it was hard to top. The last remaining place to go? Hearing it from Belichick himself.

No, this isn’t the nostalgic, reminiscent end-of-it-all Belichick autobiography that we would all kill for, but it’s the words right out of the coach’s mouth on everything football.

There’s been no secret that Belichick’s Friday press conferences are often fascinating, with long ruminations on football minutiae. John Powers has collected and sorted all those wonderful tidbits and the result is a pretty great mosaic of Bill Belichick the football coach and historian. The instant I heard about this book it was clear to me how great it would be and it delivered in every way to someone who is fascinated by Belichick the coach.

It’s short digestible bits on everything from gameday butterflies to missing practice and everywhere else in between. It’s pure football Belichick at his most willing to tackle any question that actually is about the game.

No spin. No hot takes. Just Belichick and football. My favorites.

 

Review: Belichick and Brady by Michael Holley

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I had the chance to review a copy of the championship edition of Michael Holley’s Belichick and Brady book and really enjoyed it. It was fun to re-live the past decade-and-a-half of Patriots football but solely through the lens of the two biggest characters at the center of it.

It’s really been such a remarkable ride and one that shifted drastically from when the Patriots were the darlings of the football world to when they became polarizing figures at the center of controversies both real and manufactured. Now you either love Belichick and Brady or hate them and the book does a good job of breaking down why.

I thought both Spygate and Deflategate were evenly handled. I know that will win points with many readers, others not so much, but Holley does an excellent job during the Deflategate episode of really breaking down how terribly the NFL handled the situation, how biased it was from the get go and all the many conflicts of interest just continued to pile up as the saga wore on.

Most of all it’s fun to get some small glimpses behind the curtain. There wasn’t an overwhelming amount of information that I hadn’t already heard or read about, but there was just enough to keep it feeling fresh. Holley is an excellent writer and really did justice to the drama of every season without getting too bogged down in the unnecessary details.

It’s definitely worth checking out if you like these kind of historical perspectives, but it’s exciting to know that significant chapters of it are still unwritten.

Pick up a copy of Belichick and Brady here.

Product Alert: Patriots Football History Told Through The Washington Post

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Thank you to Signature Gifts for sending me one of their Football History books! I have plenty of Patriots keepsakes but this might just be one of my favorites. It’s a compilation of the Patriots’ history told through the pages of the Washington Post.

It goes all the way back to the Patriots’ first season in 1960, right up through their stunning win in Super Bowl 51. It was such a fun way to relive the trials and tribulations of the franchise, as told through the way people used to get their information — the newspaper.

It’s a wonderful compilation, filled with pictures and stories that even I had forgotten about. If you’d like to pick one up you can get all the details here. If you’re a fan of history, or especially newspapers and old time sports reporting, this would make a wonderful gift!

Review: Roger That! Super Bowl Commemorative Book

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I had the chance to check out The Boston Globe’s commemorative Super Bowl 51 book and I was blown away. As a kid I used to pour over books like this, with their big glossy pics and articles from the Globe, this is definitely a must-have for die hard Pats fans. It’s the perfect keepsake to pair with a 28-3 comeback tee.

The entire season is recapped, along with a look back at all the Super Bowls the Patriots have gone to, including those four we’d like to forget. Still, it puts them in perspective now and I don’t think I’m alone is saying 42 and 46 don’t sting quite so badly now (Though there will never be a worse loss than 42, it’s impossible, but it no longer makes me sick).

Every standout moment of the 2016 regular season is captured in big beautiful pictures, including the start of the season with Garoppolo and Brissett, Brady’s return to Foxboro (WE WERE THERE!), and even Shea McClellin jumping over the Ravens line to block the field goal attempt.

The pictures from the Super Bowl are perfect. Every key moment is captured — Edelman’s catch, Hightower’s sack, all of James White’s plays, and even that terrible moment when Brady threw the pick six. As much as I love NFL Films and everything they’ll put together, including Three Games To Glory V, I’m really going to love being able to pick this book up and thumb through the season, remembering how it all went down.

The best part though might be the back cover. 🙂

Grab yourself a copy below, you won’t regret it!!