Late August Patriots thoughts in lead-up to season

Wednesday 8/28/24

I find it almost impossible to take anyone seriously. Sports are so simple compared to the actually complex things, and yet it's just one idiotic comment after another, including from people who make millions of dollars talking idiotically about sports so that other idiots can think, "He talk like me."

Yesterday in a college football discussion forum I saw where someone said that Michael Bishop, former Patriots back-up quarterback that fans treated like he was Q.B. Christ despite not having seen him play and never mind that he couldn't play, would be better than Patrick Mahomes in today's NFL. They couldn't even spell "Mahomes." I cannot believe that this is the human race, or a race of anything, for that matter. I can't believe that a race--species--could be so unilaterally dumb. Raccoons aren't dumb. There aren't idiot raccoons. They're up to speed on their stuff.

Looks like the Bailey Zappe era is over in New England. I guess they could bring him back for the practice squad, if he was willing to come back. He can latch on somewhere else in that capacity. It was weird that he played so much of that first preseason game. I felt like they wasted that opportunity to have Drake Maye get better.

Here's how it seems: Maye has been better than Jacoby Brissett in camp, but the latter will be the Week 1 starter. I don't know this. Personally, I'd go with Maye. I think they won't because they want to shelter him. The offensive line isn't good, and there's not a lot to play for, which is a depressing way to enter a season. Someone like Alex Van Pelt wants the safest option, I think, because this is his first ever shot at being an offensive coordinator and likely his last. Definitely his last if it doesn't go well, which I don't expect it to.

A side thought: It's hard to believe that Alex Van Pelt is in his fifties and was a quarterback in the NFL. I don't know--I think that sends a bad message to prospective employees, in that field, looking like that. I know, I know, everything is awesome and perfect and we're supposed to pretend as much, but he looks like hell. I see a guy who doesn't take care of himself and I think certain things. I think about work ethic. Sorry, but I do. He's in NFL facilities with access to all of those machines. You can't hop on a treadmill every now and again?

The Patriots have said that at some point Maye will play this year, and I don't like that either. Why? Because that's the same as saying "We won't be any good." If you are good, and the quarterback is playing well--which you usually need in order to be good--then you wouldn't take him out for any reason.

So what are we saying here before the year even starts? You're putting a ceiling in place. It'd be nice to not cap things so soon, even though you have a decent idea of what will happen. Who knows? Maybe there's a surprise, people buy in, you get on a roll. Is that wishful thinking? Sure. But you need to preserve some of that, in my estimation. If Maye was the starter, then there's no theoretical cap. Maybe he ends up being a player for you early on.

It's funny now to see all of these sports media people here in Boston begin to say--but nowhere near as firmly or clearly or in so detailed a manner--what I was saying about Mac Jones back in 2021. So now you think his arm was so bad. Not then, but now. Oh.

I expect that everyone will look back on this Patriots season later and say they that knew all along it wouldn't go well, and then point to having a first-year head coach with no head coaching experience, a journeyman QB, an OC that no one had ever hired before to be an OC which says something, given his age. And it was all tossed together. None of it was by design or a head coach's choosing based on his experience and who he knew could deliver for him and the team. It's this motley assembly. What are the chances that goes well? Is that a good recipe for success, do you think?

What I would say about this NFL is that you can only be so bad because so many teams are bad. You will find your way to 3 or 4 wins.

I'm glad the Patriots moved on from last year's kicker. I was worried they were going to delay in cutting him loose, when it's plain to me that he's not the guy for that job. I thought he was a disaster last year, and you are going to struggle to score and finish drives, so you need someone better. People talk about the kicker position like it's not consequential, which I don't get at all. You need a guy who is near-automatic, or you'll lose games you could have won.