Category: Patriots

We've seen this statistic before, and we should all see it again: In the 16 seasons Tom Brady has started at quarterback, the Patriots have gone to the Super Bowl eight times. In other words, every season with Brady as a starter has had a 50 percent chance of ending up in the championship game. … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, AFC Championship Review

You know a game has gone well for New England when the Gillette Stadium crowd starts to sound like they're cheering for Georgetown. Hoya! Hoya! Yes, when backup quarterback Brian Hoyer takes the final snaps, that means victory formation. The Patriots overcame a sluggish start and unleashed a relentless attack on both sides of the … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Titans Review

The Patriots host the Titans on Saturday night. It's a game very few around the region feel particularly worried about, although I'll go into a couple of details on that below. New England could field a more complete team than what took on the Jets a couple of weeks ago, with the potential return of … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Playoff Bye Review

I've got a buddy who's from Buffalo. (Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it's true.) On the morning of the New Year, he sent out this piece on Buffalo fans greeting the team at the airport in two-degree weather. Every New England fan should watch that, and remember. In 2002, the Patriots … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Jets Review

Hey there. Have a good Christmas? Hope so. New England got a couple of presents on Christmas Eve, including a would-be Bills touchdown reception by Charles Clay that "survived the ground" about as well as an unlucky skydiver. That got overlooked when an ensuing catch by Kelvin Benjamin got called a TD but was overturned … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Bills Review

While many have called New England's 27-24 win at Pittsburgh a roller-coaster, I'd liken it to one of those drop rides they have at traveling carnivals that lift you way up in the air and release you, making your stomach feel like somebody attached an industrial vacuum cleaner to it. This game went beyond nerve-wracking, … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Steelers Review

You know, I was never the type of kid who jammed lit firecrackers into piles of dog vomit. If I had been, that might give me a greater appreciation for New England's output Monday Night. The Patriots got outmatched at every level in Miami for an exhausting 27-20 setback. From a New England perspective, we … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Dolphins Review

New England ground down Buffalo 23-3 on Sunday, and in the process might have given us a preview of how the last quarter of this oddly-scheduled regular season will go. With three of the next four games vs. AFC East opponents, we can expect to see tough, hard-hitting tilts against geared-up foes taking their best … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Bills Review

If something called a "nerve-wracking blowout" exists, New England's 35-17 handling of Miami would qualify. With 5:33 remaining in the first quarter, tight end Rob Gronkowski outmuscled Reshad Jones and broke to the outside for a catch at the goal line. The score made it New England 14, Miami 0. Tom Brady had completed seven … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Observations, Dolphins Review

We're approaching the third anniversary of the farce known as deflategate. If this was really a plot by the NFL owners to get back at the Patriots and level the playing field, how has that worked out? What's happened to some of the key players who went after the Patriots in that drama since then? Mike … Continue reading Deflategate – Where Are They Now?