It's not tennis. It's not golf. It's not darts, or bowling, or long-distance running. Football requires a full team. Perhaps the most positive outcome of New England's 31-17 besting of Green Bay came in the display of timely team contributions. The offense started with a more overwhelming pace than the opening of ¡Sabado Gigante! to … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Notes, Packers Edition

A quick note before we begin: I was listening to a New-York-based radio station Wednesday morning (WFUV), and in a very professional news voice, the young woman spoke briefly of the Red Sox holding their victory parade, noting, "As is tradition, the team will ride in duck boats." As is tradition. Really struck me, there, … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Notes, Bills Edition

You'd think I'd learn. Even after paying attention to football since Jimmy Carter was president, I still find myself succumbing to the shifts. New England's opening drive in Chicago started off with an 18-yard Sony Michel run and 13-yard Michel reception where he caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage and ran for 15 … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Notes, Bears Edition

You know what? It's high time we started looking on the bright side of things, Boston fans. The Red Sox won 108 games and made it to the ALCS, where, as of this writing, they're putting up a fight in Houston. The Celtics started off their season with a breezy win vs. Philly and look … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Notes, Chiefs Edition

Oh, dear readers, I come to you with a bowed head of humility. Yes, I rank myself among the many who panicked upon New England's 1-2 record. At one point, I tweeted that the Patriots would lose to Miami, and that 2018 was shaping up like 2002. I shall not link to said tweet. My … Continue reading Patriots (Early) Thursday Notes, Colts Edition

Well, dear readers, that was not how I figured this season would begin. With all of their rotating parts on offense, plus a defense that had shown some poor tendencies recently, it seemed the Patriots would get off to a sluggish, 2017-like start. Instead, they brought some heat in the pass rush, some solid offensive … Continue reading Patriots Thursday Notes, Texans Edition

With some of their roster reconfiguring, including more receivers fresh out of the box than at a 1980s phone store, New England is looking at rough go in their first two weeks. More on my soothsaying below, right after we see just how poorly I predicted the Patriots' roster. (The original preview column from July … Continue reading Patriots Roster Preview Review As Team Heads For Rough Start

New England outscored Washington 26-17 in their first preseason game of 2018 last Thursday night, coming back from an ugly 17-0 deficit behind backup quarterback Brian Hoyer as Tom Brady stayed on the sidelines. Some notes from the game below, including players to watch for during this Thursday's tilt vs. Philadelphia (7:30 p.m. eastern time). … Continue reading Pats Preseason Week Two Preview – Week One Review

Preseason is to real NFL games what Snackwells are to real cookies: They'll do fine if they're all you've got. Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., your New England Patriots play the Washington Piscataway (see, Dan Schneider? Not that hard). If you're a Pats fan, you're feeling pretty excited right now. Like the NFL draft, your … Continue reading Patriots Preseason Next Best Thing To Real Football Preview 2018