Patriots: They Were The Best of Times; They Became The Worst

[Teach]

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… Yes, Dickens’s opening lines from his novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.”

Is London, as depicted in Dickens’s novel, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, or Miami? Yet one thing’s for sure. I believe there's little doubt, at least as far as the NFL is concerned, that Paris, the scene of the “Reign of Terror” is New England (Foxboro), "The worst of times."

The Patriots own a 1-5 record going into Week 7. Just one lowly win, that against the lowly Jets. Were we spoiled by all those Super Bowl rings? Was it, indeed, Tom Brady? Was it his "will-to-win?" Was it his numerous come-from behind, "rabbit-out-of-a-hat," last second victories?

This year's addition of the Patriots is, as matters stand, turning out to be among the worst; their record may rival the 2-14 Patriots of 1982 and 1992.

Personally, at least when it comes to the quarterback position, I believe the Patriots can do better than Mac Jones. I’m not trying to make him “the scapegoat.” I’m not “projecting” the season’s poor start on his shoulders. This is not an ad hominem attack. I have no “axe to grind.” In fact, Jones handles himself very well at the podium. Further, he doesn’t look to blame teammates.

Yet, in continuing, I believe there is a lack of arm-strenghth. Yes, in the Raiders game he did throw an excellent ball to DeVante Parker which should have been caught. Yet based on his three seasons with the Patriots, I consider Jones "a mediocre quarterback." Oh, one other point, Jones appears to panic when he’s harried. In those circumstances there have been fumbles and interceptions. Jones may be poised off the field, but doesn't seem nearly as posed on the field.

One other thing: there was a play, as I recall in last week's game that the Patriots scored a touchdown against Las Vegas. Well, in an after-the-fact manner, Jones rushes in to join the "tush-push." He then appeared to be trying to pull one of the Raiders defenders out of the pile. In my opinion, it was a "theatrical," an attempt endear himself to his teammates.

As for Coach Bill Belichick, I believe he’s reached the end of his coaching career, at least with the Patriots. Yes, over the years he has served the Patriots well; yet there comes a time to leave the stage "while they're still applauding." One might say that in recent years the applause as been "smattering," as opposed to the Patriots' "glory days" when there was a thunderous applause of appreciation.

As I continue, Belichick wants to catch Don Shula as far as regular-season wins is concerned; yet at the rate he going he make be rivaling Methuselah.

As for Rober Kraft, the team owner, I have to wonder how intense he is about putting a competitive team on the field. I know he goes to all the games, but I ask, "Has his zeal waned? I know that last year he wrote a letter to season ticket-holders how disappointed he was that the team didn't make the playoffs. He promised improvement.

Moreover, I wonder if Mr. Kraft is more focused on revenues he reaps from being the Patriots owner than on his team's performance on the gridiron. He has numerous sources of revenue, e.g., Patriots Place, ticket sales, concessions, souvenirs, jerseys, radio rights, TV rights, etc. The list could go on and on.

As for the team, there are many good players, yet as far is season is concerned, they've lost to teams they should have beaten. I believe they should have beaten the Raiders and the previous week, the Saints, yet as we all know they lost to both teams.

Where this goes is still to be decided, but I would have to believe any hopes of making the playoffs is out the question. Possibly Mr. Kraft will have to write yet another letter to season ticket-holders. One has to wonder how much they can take?

At this juncture, I ask, "Are the Patriots heading, as a team, in the wrong direction? "Are they heading toward an ever-deeper demise? Will they become the NFL's "door-mat?"

As Canton says in the "Tale of Two Cities'" last line, ''It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

As for tomorrow's Bills v. Patriots game at Gillette, the Bill’s are -7.5. The O/U is 40.5. As for those two bets, I’m leaning toward the O/U. I’m thinking the "under." Strong winds with gusts of up to and exceeding 30 mph are slated (The winds will be coming down from “The Lighthouse"). I believe the wind could play havoc with both the passing and kicking game. I believe the "wind-factor” could keep the score lower than anticipated. It will be one thing to go "with the wind," yet another "to go against it."

In concluding, as analogous to "A Tale of Two Cities," the first two 21st century decades were “the best of times"; recent years have been "the worst."

[ElKabong]

All you have to do to find belichek's level of competence is look at his record with, and without Brady.