A Terrible Season For The Patriots (8-9) Thankfully Ends Without An Undeserved Postseason Berth

 

    For months, this doomed to fail season for the Patriots needed to end and finally, it all came crashing down on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, NY as they fell 35-23 to the Bills (13-3). They would have made the playoffs if they had beaten Buffalo, something which they can't do anymore without the help of a biblical storm. Besides having very little free time to write these days (haha who knew that a baby was so much work?), this version of the Pats gave me few reasons to bother mentioning them during this utterly pathetic campaign. I never openly rooted against them (although it was close more than a few times in 2022-2023) but I am truly happy that we can move on with our lives now until free agency and the NFL Draft this spring. Head coach/GM Bill Belichick gave us no reason to believe in this team from the start and hopefully finishing with a regular season record two games worse than last year and missing the postseason for the second time in three seasons brings about some real changes that they so desperately need.

    You don't have to be a football genius to know that having two complete bozos (say hi Matt Patricia and Joe Judge) take on roles that they have never had before-after each guy flamed out as head coaches in other places-would not go well. Second-year quarterback Mac Jones regressed big time this season but how much of that can you blame on him since he had a quarterbacks coach (Judge) who is best suited as a special teams coach while his offensive coordinator (Patricia) had only ever worked with defenses and offensive lines before this? It is also tough to objectively evaluate Jones when Bill's drafting history in recent years has been mostly terrible and his free agent moves have also been spotty. Did I mention that New England's offensive line was awful-one of the worst in the NFL-and their skill position guys were average at best? 

    This is now three years post-Tom Brady and it has not been a pretty picture for Belichick who has been seriously exposed without the greatest quarterback in NFL history by his side. Being the second oldest head coach in the league probably doesn't help either along with surrounding himself with nothing but yes men, his sons and his friends. The gap between the Bills and Patriots is scary-like it used to be in the opposite direction. With quarterback Josh Allen leading them, Buffalo has won three AFC East titles and they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Thanks to the Pats' loss and Miami's win in the regular season finale, the Dolphins snuck into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs (where they will have the honor of getting blown out by the Bills next weekend). New England swept their two games with the Jets this season as usual but if New York can just get steadier quarterback play, they will be right there with the Patriots if not ahead of them. 

    This is all pretty grim if you are a Pats fan. Granted, we had an unprecidented run of success with Brady here that will never be duplicated again in our lifetimes. Still, is it too much to ask to be competitive year after year? Patriots owner Robert Kraft is not dumb at all and he is also not young so you wonder how much longer he will stand for this (being a middling team in the NFL)? I'm not suggesting that Belichick will be fired this week nor that he should be but if they simply run it back with the same flawed set of coaches and incomplete roster, why should we expect different results anytime soon? Without saying it after Sunday's loss, it seemed like two of the few remaining leaders from their glory days (safety Devin McCourty and special teams ace Matthew Slater) are both about to retire thus leaving a huge void in the locker room if that is the case. The 2023 offseason is upon us for the Patriots and they are due for some serious housekeeping if they want to get back to relevance leaguewide.

The Patriots Get Free Agency Rolling By Re-Signing The McCourty Twins & Matthew Slater

It's been a long time since I wrote a post about a simple news story for the Patriots but I don't think I have to explain why we all could use a break from our horrifying reality for a moment. Following the team picking up cornerback Jason McCourty's option for 2020 earlier in the week and then re-signing special teams ace/spiritual leader Matthew Slater to a two-year deal on Friday night, this evening brought word that the Pats had also brought back another captain-safety Devin McCourty for two more years as well ($23 million with $17 million guaranteed). Obviously, none of these aforementioned guys are named Tom Brady (ever heard of him?) but if you want to have any hope that TB12 has not played his last game for the Patriots, these moves have to be a good sign pointing in that direction.

I don't have a twin (as far as I know) but from everything I've observed over my lifetime, when it comes to twins, they are a different type of person. That's why when you saw that Jason McCourty was returning, you had to feel like it was a lock that Devin would be back too. For an example of how close the McCourty brothers are, they share a Twitter handle which is only slightly less absurd than it sounds. Jason is a servicable pro and while nobody would describe Slater as a star, he is very good at his limited on-field role (as the multiple Pro Bowls on his resume would tell you) but a true Hall of Famer off the field as cheesy as that sounds. Of these three, Devin is the real standout since not only has he been a nine-time captain but he's also been to four Pro Bowls and most importantly, won three Super Bowls. Like Slater, Devin has only ever played for the Patriots in his entire NFL career. You know who else has only known one pro franchise? A certain all-time greatest quarterback/player in NFL history.

More than anything after an off-season of non-stop drama and uncertainty, these moves show that no Foxborough isn't completely burning to the ground and Bill Belichick-the greatest head coach in league history but also an average GM-hasn't lost his way. Clearly, if Brady finally leaves here (and it's reportedly down to the Buccaneers and the Patriots) we will be singing a different tune but it has to mean something that these dependable, mature veterans all decided to stay with New England rather than start over somewhere else. No matter if it's after an epic win or a heartbreaking loss, Slater and Devin McCourty are always two of the go-to players on the Pats for the media. Furthermore, you always see them in the middle of every locker room celebration video after a Patriots victory (Slater voice). They are adults and it's easy to see why they have been captains seemingly forever here. No doubt, they would have had other choices of places to go but I'm sure after consulting with their families, teammates and agents and honestly assessing the entire situation, they realized that this remained the best spot for them to continue to play at a high level and compete for championships year after year which is what winners like them care about the most.

The Coronavirus has wiped away all other sports in the world for the forseeable future so I'm happy that the NFL hasn't deviated from its normal league calendar: legal tampering starts tomorrow at noon (wink wink) and then free agents can officially begin signing with teams on Wednesday. Even going into his age-43 season, Brady is still the biggest domino to fall in the NFL so you feel like once his decision is mercifully made, a flurry of other QB moves will be finalized around the league shortly after that. Going to the Titans made plenty of sense for Tom at least on the surface (good team, his buddy Mike Vrabel as the head coach, a fun market, etc.) but you can cross them off the list after they completed a stunning reach of a move tonight: re-signing Ryan Tannehill to a four-year deal worth a whopping $118 million dollars. Yes that's right folks, a team that improbably reached the AFC Championship Game last season after upsetting the Patriots and top-seeded Ravens on the road, chose the fluky Tannehill (who picked the right two months to play the best football of his life) over a few years of a very motivated Brady. In 2020 with the world falling apart before our eyes, somehow this made perfect sense. With that said, seeing Brady play for any other team would be devastating (as utterly painful as this whole excruciating process has been at times), particularly for such a rinky-dink team like Tampa Bay.

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Meet Your 2014 New England Patriots Captains

It has been a long summer thanks to the miserable Red Sox, so even though the heat has surprisingly returned to start out September, we are thrilled that football season is officially here. New England opens its much-anticipated 2014 campaign on Sunday (1, CBS) in Miami against their AFC East foe (and likely biggest threat in the division). Today, the Pats named their six captains for the club with five holdovers from past seasons and one random new one.

On offense, quarterback Tom Brady and offensive lineman Dan Connolly are the leaders while nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, safety Devin McCourty and special teams star Matthew Slater are also in charge. Brady, Wilfork, Mayo, McCourty and Slater have all been captains for years while Connolly is the lone change. He's been in the NFL for nine years and this will be his seventh in Foxborough after starting out in Jacksonville. It makes sense that the oldest offensive lineman gets the nod since he started every game last season (for the first time) and Logan Mankins was dealt to Tampa Bay.

Captains (if they have them) in baseball or basketball are mostly a useless title (looking at you Rajon Rondo) but in hockey and football, I think it's the complete opposite. Such physically demanding sports require capable leaders that are the most respected members of a given team and also some of their best players. We all think it should be a long, fruitful season for the Pats and judging by these solid guys, they are starting out from a good place.

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Week 17 Injury Report: Patriots vs. Bills + 4 Patriots Named to the Pro Bowl

You probably lost track of it over the holidays (you're excused) but the Patriots (11-4) have a very important game in their regular season finale, Sunday (1, CBS) vs. Buffalo (6-9) at Gillette Stadium. With a win, the Pats will earn the No. 2 seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They can also get it with a loss but since it is the Bills, let's just focus on beating that hopeless franchise.

Today's injury report had some interesting things on it: Josh Boyce (ankle) is out and Devin McCourty (concussion) is doubtful for New England. Bills mercurial wide receiver Stevie Johnson is out (his mother passed away) and safety Aaron Williams (ribs) is also out while quarterback EJ Manuel (knee) is doubtful but backup Thad Lewis has already been named the starter.

The Patriots have 11 players that are questionable: Kyle Arrington (groin), Alfonzo Dennard (knee/shoulder), Aaron Dobson (foot), Dane Fletcher (groin), Steve Gregory (finger/knee), Rob Ninkovich (ankle), Nate Solder (concussion), Brandon Spikes (knee), Will Svitek (ankle), Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and Shane Vereen (groin).

In the past, I've written a specific blog just about the Pro Bowl selections for the Patriots but in my wiser age, I realized who gives a shit? The Pro Bowl rosters were announced tonight and it still boggles my mind that so many people care who is on it or not. I mean really? Anyways, I just thought I should mention that the Pats had four Pro Bowlers in 2013: Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, Aqib Talib and Matthew Slater. Bye!

UPDATE 12/28: Safety Kanorris Davis and cornerback Justin Green were promoted from the practice squad for tomorrow's game.

UPDATE 12/29: The Patriots inactives are Steve Beauharnais, Dennard, Boyce, Isaac Sopoaga, McCourty, Jake Bequette and Chris Barker. The Bills inactives are Manuel, Johnson, WR Cordell Roberson, RB Ronnie Wingo, DB Brandon Smith, OG Mark Asper and OG Antoine McClain.

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Week 5 Injury Report: Patriots at Bengals

Everyone's favorite team from Hard Knocks (just kidding, we didn't have a choice since nobody else wanted to do it)-the Bengals (2-2)-host the Patriots (4-0) on Sunday (1, CBS). This afternoon, the injury report came out and there were some interesting developments for both teams. The headline being that New England running back Stevan Ridley (knee) is out and Cincy's excellent cornerback Leon Hall (hamstring) is doubtful.

Five weeks into the regular season, the Pats have started to play their usual mind games with the injury report. They have 10 guys listed as questionable: Danny Amendola (groin), Sebastian Vollmer (foot), Aaron Dobson (neck), Jerod Mayo (ankle), Brandon Bolden (knee), Leon Washington (thigh), Tavon Wilson (hamstring), Kenbrell Thompkins (shoulder), Rob Gronkowski (back) and Dont'a Hightower (knee). Be aware that multiple media members have said Gronk won't play once again.

Interestingly enough, Matthew Slater (wrist) is doubtful so he'll probably be out again but at least this time he's got a chance to play. He's missed the last two games with a broken wrist but the Pats could always use their special teams captain on the field.

Bengals guard Mike Pollak (knee) and cornerback Brandon Ghee (thigh) are also doubtful while defensive end Michael Johnson (concussion) and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (hamstring) are questionable.

Stay tuned before kickoff on Sunday when I update this post.

UPDATE 10/6: Gronk and Wilson are out. The Pats signed safety Kanorris Davis and linebacker Ja'Gared Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster so they'll probably play. Also, Amendola made the trip so he must be getting close (fingers crossed) to returning.

The Patriots inactives are Slater, Ridley, Austin Collie, Gronk, offensive lineman Chris Barker, linebacker Steve Beauharnais and Wilson. For the Bengals, Pollak, offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson, running back Rex Burkhead, Johnson, wide receiver Ryan Whalen, Hall and Ghee are all inactive.

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Week 3 Injury Report: Buccaneers at Patriots

It's funny how quickly we fall into familiar routines when it comes to the NFL season. The Patriots (2-0) last played on Thursday (9/12) and maybe because it was such a horrific game that we tried to put it out of our memories but that feels like it was a year ago. Today, the injury report was released for New England's meeting with winless Tampa Bay (0-2) on Sunday (1, FOX) at Gillette Stadium.

Matthew Slater (wrist) has already been declared out for the Pats who as far as I know haven't publically acknowledged his broken wrist which should put him on the shelf for a while. Danny Amendola (groin) is doubtful and you can basically guarantee that he won't play either. There are six Patriots that are questionable: Brandon Bolden (knee), Dan Connolly (finger), Nate Ebner (ankle), Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm), Will Svitek (knee) and Leon Washington (thigh). Of that group, I'm pretty sure that Connolly and Washington are the only guys to have played in the first two games.

The Bucs aren't messing around as they've already said three of their players are out: defensive tackle Derek Landri (knee), cornerback Michael Adams (knee) and offensive lineman Gabe Carimi (illness). Four Bucs are questionable: tight end Tom Crabtree (ankle), cornerback Rashaan Melvin (hamstring), guard Carl Nicks (foot) and tight end Luke Stocker (hip).

Check back on Sunday prior to kickoff as I'll update these when the inactive list becomes available.

In other Patriots news, the NFL finally came down with their fines from the Jets-Pats game. Vince Wilfork, Alfonzo Dennard and Michael Buchanan were each fined $7875 for unnecessary roughness while Chandler Jones was docked $15,750 for an earlier play where he hit Geno Smith.

UPDATE 9/22: The new inactives for the Pats are Washington, Gronk, Amendola, Steve Beauharnais, Svitek, and Chris Jones. The other inactives for the Bucs include Orlovsky, Adams, defensive end Steven Means and Stocker.

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Another Wrist Injury Claims A Sneaky Important Patriot-Matthew Slater

I'm not going to wax poetic on the importance of special teams in the NFL, I'll leave that to overzealous coaches and analysts but I can admit that in recent years I've come to appreciate those jobs much more than ever before. On the surface, it seems like any jamoke can play on special teams, how tough can it be? However, when you see someone that is really good at it-like Patriots captain Matthew Slater-you realize the world of difference it can make.

That's why news of Slater's broken wrist is another tough blow for the Patriots (2-0) who have been ravaged with injuries already this season (Rob Gronkowski, Shane Vereen, Danny Amendola). Like Vereen, Slater is expected to miss four to six weeks. I guess we'll have to see how they stash him on the roster since Vereen was put on IR with that new designation to return after eight weeks. I'm not sure if you can use that on more than one player.

Regardless, mercy! On the one hand, New England has really benefited from their early schedule by playing the Sisters of the Poor (Bills and Jets) and now the Bucs (0-2) who are Team Turmoil come to Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon (1, FOX). However we've seen what the injuries to the Vereen and Amendola left Tom Brady to "work" with vs. the Jets last Thursday.

The son of NFL Hall of Famer offensive lineman Jackie Slater, Matthew has made the Pro Bowl twice for special teams with the Pats and he's an underrated leader on the team because he often has to work with more different players than most (since special teams guys are on the bottom of the roster so there is constant shuffling).

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Week 2 Injury Report: Patriots vs. Jets

It's hard to believe but the Patriots will be playing another game a little more than 24 hours from now. New England (1-0) welcomes the Jets (1-0) to Gillette Stadium for the first installment of their yearly double dose of AFC East hatred. It is also New England's 2013 home opener. For the last few days, we've been focused on all the Pats injuries and now we know the status' of Shane Vereen (wrist) who is out until at least Week 11 while Danny Amendola (groin) and Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm) are both doubtful as expected.

For the Jets, three players have already been ruled out: defensive lineman Quinton Coples (ankle), wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (concussion) and quarterback/punching bag Mark Sanchez (shoulder). Everyone else on New York is listed as probable so we won't bother with them. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night (8:25, NFL Network and ABC) to see what other four guys are inactive for Rex Ryan's squad.

In addition, eight Patriots are questionable: Brandon Bolden (knee), Aaron Dobson (hamstring), Nate Ebner (ankle), Duron Harmon (hamstring), Matthew Slater (knee), Zach Sudfeld (hamstring), Will Svitek (knee) and Leon Washington (knee). Slater and Sudfeld are the ones I'll be keeping a close eye on since they played vs. Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. The other six guys didn't suit up against the Bills but I expect Dobson to play since Amendola will be on the sideline.

I'll update this tomorrow before the opening kickoff. In other Patriots roster news, they picked up rookie defensive lineman Chris Jones off waivers from Tampa Bay. To make room for him, they waived offensive lineman Josh Kline who I feel like has been involved in a million moves over the last few weeks.

UPDATE 9/12: The inactives for the Patriots are Bolden, Amendola, Svitek, linebacker Steven Beauharnais, Gronk, Sudfeld and Jones. The inactives for the Jets are quarterback Brady Quinn, guard William Campbell, tackle Ben Ijalana, tackle Oday Aboushi in addition to Coples, Kerey and Sanchez.

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The Patriots Hopefully Will Not Send Seven Guys To The 2013 Pro Bowl

I have made fun of the Pro Bowl more than enough in the past so I don't want to repeat myself ranting about the most useless yearly event in professional sports. As a dedicated blogger, I'm here simply to report that the Patriots had seven players named to the 2013 Pro Bowl in Hawaii on January 27, 2013.

Quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker, tight end Rob Gronkowski, guard Logan Mankins, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and special teams standout Matthew Slater were all selected by their peers, NFL coaches and fans. New England hopes that history repeats itself since the Patriots didn't have to send anybody to Hawaii in 2012 since they were in the Super Bowl the next Sunday against the Giants.

Gronkowski, Mankins, Wilfork and Mayo are the starters of that group and the Patriots had the third most selections of any team in the NFL. The 49ers (9) and Texans (8)-two teams they saw up close in recent weeks at Gillette Stadium-were the other squads most heavily represented.

This is the eighth time Brady has made it, one shy of John Hannah's team record, and fourth year in a row. Mankins, Welker and Wilfork are going for the fifth time while Gronkowski, Mayo and Slater each were named to the AFC roster for the second time in their careers.

One of the things that makes football so great is that it is the epitome of a team sport. It takes many solid players to get anywhere so while these particular guys all deserved to be singled out for their excellent seasons, I take this more of an indication that it's been a great year for the Patriots.

New England (11-4) hosts Miami (7-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m., CBS) in the final game of the 2012 regular season. The playoff scenarios are pretty simple for the Pats: if they win and either Houston or Denver loses, they get the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If they win and both the Texans and Broncos lose, they get the No. 1 seed. However if both of those teams win, it doesn't matter what the Patriots do because they won't get a bye in the first round.

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Your 2012 New England Patriots Captains, Same Exact Group As Last Year

Life is just better with real football games happening all around us so it was a great feeling last night when at long lost, the NFL was back for good thanks to its Giants-Cowboys 2012 season-opener.

The Patriots are getting ready for their game on Sunday against the Titans in Nashville, Tennessee. The injury report should be out tomorrow and today they did some further housekeeping as they announced their 2012 team captains: quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Matthew Slater, guard Logan Mankins, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and cornerback Devin McCourty.

If the names seem familiar, you have been paying attention lately since it is the same exact group that were captains last season as well. Since New England reached the Super Bowl again, I see nothing wrong with keeping these guys as the appointed leaders. It takes years to build team chemistry (ask the Red Sox) so when you find a comfortable fit, I think it's best to stay with it for as long as things run smoothly.

Not for nothing, but all those guys have been Pro Bowlers. I think every team does this, with probably some variation, but it's nice to have basically every position covered: star and best player, top linemen, defensive playmakers and special teams ace. One of the things that has made the Patriots so great in the last decade is the way (at least on the outside) that every player seems to be treated equally. That might appear obvious but in the NFL, that is often a tougher act than you would expect.

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2012 NFL Free Agency Begins Or So I've Heard

The new calendar year for the NFL officially began at 4 p.m. this afternoon, meaning that free agency opened.

For New England Patriots fans, this day is strange. You watch so many teams around the league make big splashes but the Pats rarely spend a whole lot in free agency or acquiring marquee names. They much prefer to draft and develop guys or find castoffs that they turn into valuable players.

So while Vincent Jackson was getting paid in Tampa Bay, Peyton Manning was traveling around the country and Brandon Marshall was traded from Miami to Chicago, the Patriots chose to lock up mostly depth players that don't get many headlines.

Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer received a second-round tender from New England. The $1.92 million tender means that any other team can sign him to an offer sheet. If the Patriots don't match it, they get a second-round pick.

Defensive lineman Kyle Love received an exclusive rights free-agent tender. Center Dan Koppen is headed to the open market in free agency although he could return to Foxboro. Linebacker Niko Koutouvides was signed to a one-year deal with a base salary of $825,000. Finally, Matthew Slater is expected to reach an agreement tomorrow.

Only Brandon Lloyd is left in terms of impact free agent wide receivers. Let's hope that the Pats can get something done with him soon and they don't lose out to a team like the 49ers (who's hosting him on a visit tomorrow). I would list other pipe dreams like Mario Williams but I fear there's no chance they'll land anybody in his range.

UPDATE 3/14: The Patriots resigned linebacker and special teams standout Tracy White, terms were not disclosed. They've also signed former Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene to a three-year contract worth $12 million which includes a $3.85 million signing bonus. I'm excited that the Pats addressed one of their biggest needs but honestly, I've never heard of this bum. Looks like another nobody that they'll try to squeeze something out of on short money. He had 6.5 sacks last season and six sacks in 2009. He's 29 years old, 6-4, 285 pounds and he's from American Samoa. You probably would recognize him from his long hair.

UPDATE 3/15: Today the Patriots resigned Slater and also came to terms with defensive lineman Marcus Harrison, who was on the team for one day (haha really) last season. New England also signed safety Steve Gregory to a three-year deal (averaging between $2 million and $3 million) and they resigned Dan Connolly to a new contract. Gregory was on the Chargers since entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2006.

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