PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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Back when the sun still worked around here, the talk was not of 14-2 seasons or “Destination Dallas.” The talk was “bridge season,” “rebuilding defense,” and if this and that happens, maybe they win the division. The Patriots [team stats] did a lot more than that and should be lauded for it.

Certainly they raised expectations as the season went along, defeating each of the four teams that will play in the conference championships Sunday, but the reality is the rebuilding of their defense has only begun. It was not of championship caliber and, frankly, is not as far along as some suggest. The bright side is that the process has begun and there appear to be some building blocks at a time when the offense, as long as Tom Brady [stats] is around, remains potent.

Ron Borges – unlikely voice of reason

https://www.patspropaganda.com/back-when-the-sun-still-worked-around-here-the/

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Look at this! It’s the return of video to PatsProp! I am posting this clip not only because obviously Tedy Bruschi is awesome, but as a reminder of the years of experience that he had that enabled him to make plays. There was a lot of experience gained by a great number of young Patriots this season, experience that will only aid them in the long run.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/look-at-this-its-the-return-of-video-to/

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The first in a series of “Things Patriots fans should feel good about in pictures”…

https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-first-in-a-series-of-things-patriots-fans/

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I fully expect the Patriots to be extremely aggressive this offseason. The pain of that loss will serve as a reminder on what they need to do to ensure it never happens again. The plan for the Patriots is fairly simple as they need to add at least two blue chip players in their front seven and find someone, anyone, who can put pressure on the quarterback. The Patriots have coverage men, but they lack the ability to rush the passer and create negative plays.

With two picks in every round for the first four rounds, the Patriots will not have enough roster spots available to ensure those players will make the team. As a result, I can see them being aggressive in the draft to ensure they come away with the specific players they need. They have depth, they have youth, but they need an impact defensive player who can be impactful right away – not down the road.

Michael Lombardi

https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-fully-expect-the-patriots-to-be-extremely/

Ranking the last five seasons in unhappy Patriots endings

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I know a lot of people aren’t going to want to hear a Patriots fan talk about his misery over the last five years, especially when we’ve seen more wins than anyone else. The difference though, is that when you win a lot your expectations get pretty high, making the disappointment even harder to handle.

The higher your expectations get raised the harder they can come crashing down.

So with that in mind let’s rank the crappy endings of the last five years starting with the most tolerable.

5. 2008 (missed playoffs): The real misery came in the first quarter of the first game when TFB went down for the season, but after that, once we slowly started to at least appreciate the Matt Cassel year you couldn’t help but have some kind of expectations. Especially when the Pats were in the hunt for the division title right down to the last weekend. Ultimately not making the playoffs was okay, because the 2008 Pats could not beat an elite team, and were really saved by a cake walk schedule.

4. 2009 (Loss Ravens Wild Card): I think we can all agree that the magic was missing in 2009. 2010 made this even more apparent. Maybe had Welker not gone down in week 17 it would’ve been a little more disappointing, but when we faced reality we knew that this team wasn’t going very far in the playoffs. They were owned from the opening drive, so it was apparent the season was ending then and there pretty quickly. In a season filled with tough losses this one was just the icing on the cake.

3. 2010 (Loss Jets Divisional): If you told me in the summer of 2010 that the Pats season would end in the divisional round I probably would’ve thought that sounded about right. Especially when you factored in the injuries to Ty Warren and Leigh Bodden. The fact that it came at the hands of the Jets is what made it hard to handle. But when you consider what this young team did in 2010 there’s far more reason to be optimistic about the future, whereas in the past whenever the season ended you had no idea how many veterans would still be around. Now this team has a solid young base on defense, some versatile threats on offense, and we’ll still have another few years of elite play from Brady. It is no stretch of the imagination that the Patriots will be picked as Super Bowl 46 favorites by many, especially after doing whatever they want on draft weekend.

2. 2006 (Loss Colts AFCCG): Put it this way, the Pats were one half away from playing the shitty Bears in the Super Bowl, which would’ve almost assuredly meant their fourth Super Bowl in six years. But the Colts rammed it down their throat for the entire second half. To come that close with Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney as the WRs speaks to how good this team was. It also shows what a veteran defense means in the playoffs. 

1. 2007 (Loss Giants Super Bowl 42): Obviously. I could make an argument that this was the most disappointing end to a season for any sports team of the last decade. They were under three minutes away from being the undisputed greatest NFL team of all time. Funny how one miracle catch and one Plaxico Burress touchdown later, and the 2007 Pats are a punchline. I still appreciate what that team did, and while 18-1 may be a joke to a lot of NFL fans, I take pride that they had the balls to go undefeated and how close they came. To only laugh at 18-1 is to totally discount what it took to go 18-0, and I will never forget that.