It may seem like a typical start to another NFL season, but in Foxboro, it’s high noon. Wyatt Earp Belichick is coming. And he’s bringing the Patriots and Hell with him! Or … he’s bringing a disaster of Titanic proportions.
Could replacing half the starters cause an imbalance of team chemistry? Perhaps. If Mac Jones turns into AJ McCarron when he goes up against first-string defenses with an eclectic game plan, will it doom the season? Probably.
At least, that’s what the scoundrels outside of Patriots Nation want to believe. Last year, their prayers of our downfall were answered. They now laugh in our face and yell, “Finally it’s your turn to suffer through multiple losing seasons!”
Hmmm. But will we?
The G.O.A.T. coach clearly no longer gives AF, and at the very least, he has us Patriots fans on the cusp of moving on from you-know-who and beaming about the future. The new and improved Hoodie has a lot of old going out, and a lot of new coming in. To me, these three changes stand out like Trent Brown riding into town on a pony.
Change #1. Value-Bargain-Hunter Belichick OUT. Make-It-Rain-Bling-Bling Belichick IN.
Result: A roster loaded with the new toys of a child who hacked his parents’ Amazon account. Burned once by Adalius Thomas, a Ravens defensive free agent? Pfft! Bill ain’t scared of no ghost! Here’s a bag of gold for former Raven linebacker, Matt Judon, who terrorized quarterbacks all preseason. Red Zone target Gronk galloping up the seam for a 20 yard gain a thing of the past? Pfft. Here comes Hunter Henry for that role. You’ll need a cold bath in the horse trough when you see what Jonnu Smith can do after the catch on TE screens and drag routes. They’re not Gronk and Hernandez, but they’re better than the Daniel Graham and Ben Watson duo of the 2000’s. Nelson Agholor gives them something they haven’t had since Julian Edelman, a receiver who can get open on physical ability alone.
Prediction for this change: Judon has the biggest impact, possible DPOY candidate. Jalen Mills is a disaster. Why pay six-mill a year for a good tackling cornerback/safety who can’t cover? (It’s only the most important defensive skill in today’s NFL.) Just pay the three-mill a year more to bring in William Jackson III or Kyle Fuller instead. You know, guys who don’t constantly need safety help.
Change #2 Power-Hungry-General-Manager Belichick OUT, Dave Ziegler IN.
Result: The first draft in years that didn’t make me want to throw my flat screen TV like a frisbee. The night was already a win for me when Wyatt Earp Belichick and Dave “The Zealot” Ziegler drafted their new Doc Holliday gunslinger, Mac Jones. But then this quick-draw team pull the trigger and trade up in the second round for Christian Barmore, who many felt was the biggest steal of the draft. And then, they draft Ronnie Perkins at the end of the third round who many projected to be a high second-round pick. Suddenly, the glee had me wanting to head to the nearest saloon to celebrate. Then I made the mistake of rolling my eyes at their fourth-round pick, Rhamondre Stevenson. Talk about a potential Stupid Steve moment. Next, they pulled an NBA-ish move, (Selecting and stashing a Euro player away for a year) by taking two promising defensive players coming off season-ending injuries in Cameron McGrone and Joshuah Bledsoe. Both will likely debut in 2022.
Prediction for this change: With all due respect to 1995 and 2010, this will go down as the second greatest draft in Patriots history. Sorry, 2000 will always be the best.
Change #3 Rookies-are-the-Devil-Who-Need-to-be-Caged Belichick OUT, Unleash-the-Hungry-Young-Beasts Belichick IN.
Result: For the first time in years, a draft class will impact the results on the field immediately, instead of wasting a year under contract on the bench. Jones was so impressive in training camp, The Hoodie decided to end his bizarre love affair with Cam Newton. Barmore looks like a force, and hopefully Belichick considers letting him occasionally stray from strict two-gapping, to be more of an Aaron Donald-type playmaker.
Prediction for this change: Mac Jones and Barmore finish in the top three of Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the year. All thanks to their coach having faith in them.
I mean, who is this guy?
Ultimately, the Patriots will go as far as Mac Jones takes them. This goes for every NFL team in today’s pass-happy league. People keep mentioning 2001. Sorry it’s a different NFL. An elite defense and a running game can get you far, but not to the promised land. Some say what about the 2018 Patriots? They are simply not in that Super Bowl if Tom Brady doesn’t play perhaps the best 21 minutes of his career in the 4th quarter and overtime against the Chiefs in a hostile Arrowhead Stadium. You need a top ten passing game. Period.
Luckily, Jones has acted and has looked scary beyond his years since walking into 1 Patriots Place. By seizing the National Championship last year, we know this … Jones can win the big game. But, what we still need to see, is how he performs with full stadiums, while facing the pressure of a deficit in the 4th quarter. Because when he was at Alabama, Mac constantly played with a lead, and most of the time it was cushy.
Everyone’s saying “don’t compare Mac Jones to Brady!” Yup. They’re right. But that doesn’t mean Jones can’t be a poor man's Brady. And I can tell you this. The one thing Jones is already better at? Brady’s kryptonite … the deep ball. A dynamic I can’t wait to see is Agholor’s blazing speed and Mac Jones’ poetic bombs. (Side note: let’s all hope the coaching staff locks Agholor in a room with the Jug Machine for two hours a day.) MJ10 will never be TB12, but win even one Super Bowl as the Patriots starting QB, and Big Mac could boast something Tom Terrific never can: Being a Super Bowl and NCAA champion.
A popular theory of why Belichick hung onto Newton for so long was he wanted to show the world he could win with just any signal-caller. The Hoodie decided to do one better. Attempt history … be the first team ever to win a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback.
My prediction: A soft schedule and top 3 defense brings a record of 12-5. No Super Bowl this year, but the rest of the league and their fan bases will be on notice in 2022.
Gillette Stadium is now the O.K. Corral, and Wyatt Earp Belichick runs this town … and he’s comin’ guns-a-blazin’.