An Independent Patriots Blog
I guess that’s another one of the new traditions in the league. I’ve seen a lot of football games, there has been football for a long time, and there have been captains with no patches and it seemed like everything was fine. I guess that’s another one of our improvements, with the new overtime rules and all that.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/i-guess-thats-another-one-of-the-new-traditions/
Six Patriots made the Pro Bowl, and for most of them it was a well-deserved honor. Tom Brady and Vince Wilfork are clearly deserving as they’ve been playing at a top level all season.
Many knocked the first round selection of “mainly special teamer” Devin McCourty, but now we see that McCourty is the next great NFL shutdown corner, and a playmaker who deserved to go to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Jerod Mayo leads the NFL in tackles and is living up to the promise he showed as a rookie in 2008. Mayo had possibly his best game of the season against the Bills last weekend, and looks to be in top form as the playoffs approach.
Now we get to the two most interesting Pro Bowl Pats.
Logan Mankins has been a beast since returning from his hold out. Its been a love fest from every Patriot coach and player when asked about Mankins. It is even clearer now how much he means to the Patriots offense, and every effort must be made to mend any burnt bridges and re-sign him to a long term deal.
Last, and certainly least, is Brandon Meriweather, one of those Pro Bowl anomalies. Meriweather started the season as the 3rd safety because of “freelancing” in practice. He regained his starting spot but was again benched against the Bears for what Mike Reiss believed was for being late to a team meeting.
Meriweather has now made back to back Pro Bowls as he enters the last year of his contract. He’s a solid player but with Patrick Chung, James Sanders and the emerging Jarrad Page, he’s far from an indispensible piece of the puzzle, especially with his continuing issues. The Pats use a healthy safety rotation, but Meriweather really has not lived up to expectations despite these honors.
Its possible Meriweather could see these Pro Bowl selections as an indication he deserves an extension from the Pats, and hold out from camp this summer if he doesnt get one. If he does that I wish him luck.
At the very least Meriweather’s perceived self value will certainly be higher than how the Patriots value him after next season. It’s likely that these Pro Bowl selections will seal Meriweather’s fate with the Patriots after 2011, if not sooner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0BD91xRTKQ
Patriots vs. Packers Inside the NFL segment. Check out BB’s message to the team at the end.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-vs-packers-inside-the-nfl-segment-check/
I know there’s still one game to be played but for all intents and purposes we can say goodbye to the 2010 regular season for the Patriots.
I’ve always tried to make it a point to enjoy the regular season as much as possible because if you base your fan satisfaction solely by how the season ends you’re probably going to be disappointed most of the time.
This 2010 Patriots season has been remarkable. We didn’t know what we had with the defense, and even though statistically they were probably worse than any of us expected, this team will finish with the best record in the AFC. Amazing.
The list of teams they beat is impressive. Not always dominating, but close, heart-filled victories with players making clutch plays. And sometimes dominating too.
Even I would’ve thought 13-3 or 14-2 was a little too optimistic of a record prediction given the schedule the Pats faced. Throw in the fact that they jettisoned Randy Moss mid-season, and it was a memorable season that surely has a place alongside the great regular seasons of the last decade.
Being a Pats fan is all about surprises, and this year I think just about everyone can say the 2010 Pats have been surprising to say the least.
Offensively they’re just as unstoppable as the 2007 team was, yet this group looks like it’s peaking as the playoffs start, whereas the previous team began to fizzle.
Defensively they gained a ton of great experience in a lot of big games in the national spotlight. They performed well every single time. What the defense lacked they made up for by getting turnovers, lots of them. The pass rush continues to be a concern due to injuries and inconsistency. Look for that to again be an area of focus in the offseason.
This is what a rebuilding year looks like in New England. The future looks even brighter, but for now there are three more games to be won.
This catch was sick. AFC East Champs baby!
https://www.patspropaganda.com/this-catch-was-sick-afc-east-champs-baby/
